Friends forever no matter what
by Chuni Luni
Summary: Naruto had a good friend when he was little but then she had to move away. What will happen when she comes back? Has OC's and is rated for future chapters.
1. Promises

_**Authoress note:**_ Hey everyone! I got an idea for a new story and thought I'd try it out. I know what you're thinking 'She's already got a ton of stories going she shouldn't be doing more!' and well...you're right lol but I can't help it! I have to put this stuff down or else it drives me crazy! Besides...for my other stories I've run in to the thing all writers fear the most...writers block. I'm trying to over come it but so far it's not working. Anyways lemme know what you think about this OK? If you like it I'll continue. If you don't...I might continue it anyways. If you want to see what the charm symbol described in the story looks like lemme know and I'll send ya a pic of it. As usual if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask. I hope you like this. R and R please!

**ONE MORE THING! I'M NOT TO GOOD WITH THE HONORIFICS SO IF I MESS UP LEMME KNOW AND HOW IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE THEN I'LL FIX IT.**

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A five year old girl sat in the middle of a field of wild flowers. She smiled at a little blond boy of about four years that sat in front of her. "Don't worry Naru-Kun we'll always be friends."

The little boy looked close to tears as he said "But….you're leavin…."

Smiling she said "I know but I'll be back some day." He then began to cry and she pulled him in to a hug.

"Don't go…"

Before she could respond a woman's voice filled the air. "Dakota honey it's time to go!" The woman called. Dakota pulled away from the boy and took a necklace from around her neck.

"What're you doin?" He asked confused.

Holding the necklace out to him she said "You keep this Naru-Kun. I promise you I'll be back some day so make sure to take care of it."

Staring at it with wide eyes he said "But that's your family necklace….your daddy gave it to you."

She slipped it around his neck and said "Promise me you'll take care of it." He nodded with tears rolling down his cheeks. She smiled and leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. Then she turned and hurried off.

The boy watched sadly as she disappeared. Holding the charm that was in the shape of a sun burst in his hand he said "Come back soon Kota-Chan."

Several years later a silvered haired girl stood looking down the street she was currently on. Smiling she thought 'Nothing's changed.' Then she continued walking down the street looking at the people as she went. Some seemed vaguely familiar to her but she couldn't place them. Then she arrived out side of the villages ninja academy. There she spotted a group of kids around her age and a few adults. She scanned the group of kids and a smile crossed her face. There among the group stood a blond haired boy. 'There's no mistaking it.' She thought as she looked over his face and spotted the whisker marks on his cheeks. "Finally." Then she ran up to the group and tackled the boy calling "I missed you Naru-Kun!" Everyone stared down at her with wide eyes.

The boy looked up at her (She was sprawled on top of him) and asked "Who're you?"

She blinked then moved off of him so she was kneeling next to him. "It's me Naru-Kun."

He looked her over but didn't recognize her. Shaking his head he said "I'm sorry but I don't know you." Her eyes widened and she watched stunned as he rose to his feet.

"Man whose this crazy girl?" A boy asked.

"I dunno but she's weird." Said a girl.

"You don't remember me?" She asked the boy softly as she rose to her feet. He shook his head no and a hurt look crossed her face as she said "But…..don't you remember the promise we made?" The boy still looked confused. The hurt look was replaced by a sad one as she said "I guess I should have expected this. After all it's been nine years." The people who were around them began to whisper amongst themselves. "Sorry to bother you." Then she turned to walk away.

"Wait a second!" A mans voice called out.

She turned and saw it was a man with brown hair that was up in a pony tail and a scar across his nose. He looked familiar to her. "Iruka?"

He smiled and said "Yeah. I thought you looked familiar." Hope filled her at the thought that someone here remembered her. "You've grown up Dakota." A big smile crossed her face as she ran to him and pulled him in to a tight embrace.

"You know this girl Iruka-sensei?" A girl asked.

"Sensei?"

Smiling Iruka said "Yeah I'm a teacher now. And yes Ino I know her."

"Congratulations then! I guess some things have changed since I left."

"Yes some things have changed….but not many" He then looked to Naruto and said "Think Naruto. You know Dakota you just need to think." Naruto shook his head still not remembering. Iruka sighed then said "Oh I almost forgot! Didn't you give him something before you left Dakota?" She looked up at him surprised and he said "He showed it to me not long after you gave it to him." She nodded in response. Dakota turned and looked at Naruto. Spotting a silver chain around his neck she went up to him.

"Hey what're you doing?" He demanded as she reached up and pulled the necklace out from under his shirt.

She smiled when she saw the charm. Looking in to his eyes she said "I gave this to you the day I left. Remember we were in the field Naruto? You were right when you said my dad would be mad. He lectured me for hours because I gave away the necklace he had given to me when I was born."

A look crossed his face then his eyes widened. "Kota-chan?" He asked softly.

"Now that's a name I haven't heard in a very long time."

"I don't believe it! I thought you were never coming back."

Placing her hands on her hips Dakota said "Naruto Uzumaki have you ever known me to break a promise?"

He shook his head. "But you were five and I was four!"

Sighing she said "I told you Naru-kun we would always be friends no matter what. That is a promise I have kept and one that I will keep."

"But-" He began before she cut him off.

"That is unless you don't want to be friends anymore."

"No! That's not it….it's just…."

She saw a look cross his face and she became worried. "Hey what's wrong?"

He shook his head and said "It's nothing."

"Don't you dare try and lie to me Naruto!" He flinched slightly and this surprised her. Face softening she said "You can talk to me Naruto you know that." He looked at her then at the people surrounding them. She looked as well and saw that there were a few villagers among the group now along with some more adult ninja's and they weren't giving Naruto very friendly looks. 'Oh no….don't tell me their still being mean to him.' She thought.

Looking him over quickly she got her answer. "Alright that's it!" She said causing several people to jump in surprise. Dakota glared at the adults who were giving Naruto dirty looks. "I've been away for nine fucking years and it seems not as much has changed as I thought. You (She pointed to the adults) all are still a bunch of ass holes!" Now everyone was surprised. Who was this girl to talk to them that way? Turning to Naruto she said "Come on Naruto we've got a lot to catch up on." He nodded and before he knew it she grabbed his arm and they disappeared.

"Who the heck was that?" A boy with a puppy on his head asked.

Iruka smiled and said "That is Dakota…..a very good friend of Naruto's."

"Naruto has a friend?" Several people asked stunned. Iruka shot them a dirty look at that comment.


	2. The first meeting

**_Authoress note:_ **Hey everyone! I'm back with another chappie. This one is a lot longer than the first one. I hope you like it. Now to thank my reviewers! _Konoka_ (huggles) thanks for reviewing! You're one of my most loyal reviewers! I'm glad you liked the story. Don't worry I'm trying to work on my other stories to._ zerodragon _I know what you mean about him being with someone besides the usual girls. Thanks for reviewing!_ LbcLostKid_ lol I know most people think of the state of Dakota when they hear that name. I just really liked it so I thought 'Hm...I really like this so I'm gonna use it!' lol. Thanks for reviewing! R and R please!

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**_Naruto and Dakota reappeared in a clearing full of wild flowers. "This is where we last saw each other." Naruto said as he recognized the place. 

Dakota nodded and sat down. "Alright Naruto...let's talk."

"About what?" He asked sitting down next to her.

"You know Naruto. What happened?"

Sighing he said "It's been like it's always been."

"You mean their still calling you names and beating you up?" He looked away from her and stared off in to the distance. "Naruto I'm sorry I wasn't here." She said softly.

"It's not your fault." He murmured.

"No you're wrong Naruto. You're my friend...do you remember the first time we met?"

A sad smile crossed his face and he said "Yeah...I don't think I can ever forget that day."

**Flash Back**

"Get back here demon!" A man called as he chased a three year old Naruto down the street. Terrified the boy kept running.

"You can't get away from us!" Another yelled. Looking back Naruto saw the four men were drawing closer. Then he tripped. With a cry that had nothing to do with pain he hit the ground. Seconds latter the men were on him.

"Now you get what you deserve!" A man yelled as he began to kick him.

Naruto rolled himself in to a ball and tried his best to protect his head but it was no use. They kept kicking and stomping him. Over and over again. Naruto bit his lip trying not to cry out in pain. It didn't take long for him to bite it so hard that it began to bleed. The salty metallic taste of his blood filled his mouth and at the same time he felt tears rise in his eyes. 'No...don't cwry...don't cwry...' He thought over and over again but it was no use. His tears streaked down his bloody face.

Every day it was the same thing. People would chase him, throw things, and call him horrible names no adult let alone a child should have to hear. Then they would sometimes catch him like now and beat him. Now that he was getting older he was able to get away from them more often. One of the men stomped really hard on his back and he screamed out in pain. "Pwese stop! I didn do anyting!" He cried. This only caused the men to laugh and increase the beating. He squeezed his eyes closed once more and whimpered in pain.

Then suddenly he felt their blows stop. Opening his eyes he gasped surprised. Some one had placed themselves in front of him to block the blows. "What do you think you're doing?" One of the men asked.

"Stop hurting him!" The person said. It was a little girl no more then four years old.

"Get out of the way girl." Another man said.

"NO! I won't. You leave him alone!"

One of the men moved to grab her but he was stopped by a woman. "What do you think you're doing to my daughter?" The woman cried grabbing the man and pushing him away. "If you ever lay a hand on her again I swear I will make you wish you were never born." The men glared at her then walked away. Naruto looked at the little girl with wide eyes as she turned to look down at him. She had a bloody lip where one of the men had hit her. "Are you OK?" The woman asked kneeling down next to the both of them.

The little girl knelt down in front of Naruto and asked "Mommy is he gonna be OK?" Naruto looked at the woman with fear in his eyes.

She just smiled and said "Yes I think so Dakota."

Dakota turned to Naruto and asked "What's your name?"

"N-Naruto..." He said in a soft voice.

"My name's Dakota. You wanna be friends?" He just stared wide eyed at her.

"Come Dakota we have to get home." Her mother said.

"Can Naruto come to?"

"Of course honey."

Dakota stood and held her hand out to Naruto. He just stared at it. "Don't worry we won't hurt you." Slowly he took her hand and she pulled him to his feet. Keeping a hold of his hand she tugged him along. Twenty minutes latter they arrived at Dakota's house. Naruto stared around with wide eyes. Her family wasn't rich but they had the things they needed. Which included a nice two story house.

"Now Naruto let's get you cleaned up." Dakota's mom said. He looked up at her with wide eyes. She knelt down next to him and said "It's OK Naruto You don't need to be scared. You're safe here. I wont let anyone harm you. Please can call me Tara." He nodded and she led him up stairs to the bathroom. Dakota played in her room while her mother cleaned him up. A while latter her mother brought Naruto in to her room. He was wearing an old pair of her older brothers clothes. "Dakota I want you and Naruto to play while I make dinner OK?"

"Sure mommy! You wanna play with my blocks?" Naruto nodded shyly. The two kids played while Dakota's mom was down stairs in the kitchen cooking dinner. Once it was just the two of them he seemed to relax a little though he was still nervous and didn't talk much. "Hey Naruto can you hand me that block please?" Dakota asked pointing to a wooden block that was next to Naruto. He picked it up and moved to give it to her. As he did he accidentally knocked over the tower they had made.

His eyes widened and he quickly backed away saying "I'm sowry...I'm sowry..."

She blinked surprised then began to laugh. He looked at her stunned. "It's OK Naru-Kun."

He blinked then said "N-Naru-K-Kun?"

She smiled at him widely and said "Yeah!" A small smile crossed his face as he moved back to where he had been and they continued to play.

A while latter her mother called them down for dinner. They ran laughing down the stairs and in to the dinning room. A man appeared in front of Naruto and he slammed in to him before he could stop. Naruto hit the floor with an 'Ompf'. He looked up at the man and let out a whimper of fear. Dakota ran up to him and grabbed his arm. "Come on Naru-Kun it's time to eat!" He rose but looked fearfully at the man. "Naru-Kun this is my Daddy." Dakota said pointing to the man.

The man smiled and knelt down in front of the two kids "Well it looks like you made a new friend Dakota."

Dakota smiled and said "Yeah and his names Naruto."

"Hello Naruto. I'm Dakota's dad and you can call me Raven." Naruto nodded silently. Dakota then led him to the table. It was then he noticed two other people were sitting at the table that he didn't know. One was a boy and the other was a girl. They looked to be about eight years old.

The girl squealed and said "Oh my gosh he's sooooooo cute!" The boy sitting next to her rolled his eyes and Dakota giggled.

"Alright Kiyoshi that's enough." Her mom said sitting down. Naruto's cheeks had flushed slightly.

"That's my sister Kiyoshi and my brother Kumori." Dakota said. Naruto once more nodded silently. Bowls of stew were placed in front of the kids and Dakota said "Yay! Thanks mommy!"

Her mom smiled in response and watched as her daughter began to eat. Then she frowned when she saw Naruto hadn't touched his food." Something wrong Naruto?" He looked up surprised then mumbled something. "What was that?"

"What is it?" He asked softly.

Everyone looked at him and he shrank back a little. "It's stew Naruto." Tara said. He looked at her blankly.

"Haven't you had it before?" Kiyoshi asked. He shook his head no.

Dakota's parents looked at each other then her father asked "What do you eat Naruto?"

"What ever I can find." He said softly.

Dakota's parents and siblings looked horrified at this. Then her mother quickly composed herself and said "Well go ahead and try it Naruto."

Dakota not really understanding what had happened said "Yeah it's really good Naru-Kun." He silently picked up his spoon and dipped it in to the stew and popped it in to his mouth. Seconds latter his eyes widened and he began to scarf the food down.

"Careful Naruto you don't want to make yourself sick." Dakota's mom said. By the time he began to slow down he had eaten three bowls of stew and he looked half asleep. "Alright Naruto I think you've had enough." He nodded sleepily and she went over to him and picked him up. He stiffened but then slowly relaxed.

"Where are you taking him mommy?"

"I'm going to put him to bed in your room if that's OK with you." Dakota nodded and followed after her mom. She watched as her mom laid Naruto down in her bed and pulled the covers over him. Naruto snuggled down in to the bed and instantly fell asleep. "OK Dakota it's time for you to get cleaned up." An hour latter her mother tucked her in to bed beside Naruto (Remember he's three and she's four so it's still OK to do this with out it seeming...wrong.).

Dakota laid awake for a few minutes looking at Naruto as he slept. He shifted then opened his eyes. They widened in surprise and he quickly sat up when he realized he wasn't in his own bed. "It's OK Naru-Kun." Dakota said sitting up next to him.

He looked at her surprised and asked "Where am I?"

"In my room silly." He looked at her confused. "You're staying the night." She explained. He still had no clue as to what she was talking about but laid back down none the less. Dakota laid down as well then leaned in and kissed him on the cheek and said "Good night Naru-Kun." He was to surprised to say anything.

**End Flash Back**

"You and your family did so much for me Dakota."

"Yes and it was way worth it." After that first day Naruto and Dakota had become inseparable.

He spent a lot of time at her house and they soon found one of the reasons was that his small apartment was almost uninhabitable. After her parents had found this out they had fixed it up and even gotten him some secondhand furniture that was a thousand times better than what he had had before. Dakota's mom even taught him how to cook so he could feed himself real food. Though her parents had to buy the groceries for him or else the shop keepers wouldn't sell Naruto the things he needed. The second reason he spent some time at their house was because he was lonely. Over time Naruto became a part of the family.

If your wondering if Dakota's family knew who Naruto actually was the answer was yes. Her father was a Jounin and therefore he knew what Naruto was. But he and the rest of his family didn't think Naruto was a demon. Dakota's parents didn't hide the fact of what he was from her or even Naruto himself. Sure there was a law against telling him but they didn't care. They felt like he deserved to know. And with the Kano family (That's Dakota's last name) at his side he learned that even though he had the Kyuubi sealed inside him it didn't mean he was a demon. No they showed him he was a normal little boy just like the rest of the little boys in the village and world.

"When did you get back?"

"Yesterday morning. I would have tracked you down earlier but I had to help move things in to the house and unpack."

He nodded then asked "So how have you been?"

She shrugged and said "I've been OK but I missed you everyday that I was gone." He smiled at her. "Now that I'm back it's time to remind the people of this village that the Kano family will not allow you to be harmed. Especially me." They laughed then remembering how Dakota defended him may times when they were growing up. She ended up getting beaten up a few times but the others usually ended up worse off than her. Standing up she brushed the back of her shorts off and said "Well I'm sure mom's dying to see you."

Naruto smiled and said "Well I'd love to see her to."


	3. Lunch time fun

**_Authoress note:_ **Hiya I'm back! I'm glad you all like the story so far! OK now for my reviewers!_ LbcLostKid: _Thanks for the spellin help! I gotta go back and fix it now...I'm glad you liked it._ Konoka:_ I'm glad you liked the flash back. That was actually the easiest part to write in that chappie. _Leo: _Took you long enough to read this...lol JK! I know chibis are sooooooo cute! --Hands you a form-- Fill this out and you'll be a member of the new club I started! It's called 'We love chibis club' --You don't need to tell it's a lame name...I already know that...if you can think of a better one lemme know--It also includes chibis with animal ears and tails so my chibi Naruto in my other fic fits in it as well! I thought I'd be nice and give Dakota a family this time._ Meinos877: _Thanks for reviewin! _Shinku Naito:_ I'm glad you think it's interesting! _Aka-Tenshi:_ I'm glad you're loving it! I hope this update was fast enough for everyone! Well take care and R and R please!

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_**"Naruto!" Dakota's mother Tara cried as she pulled him in to a tight hug. 

Laughing Naruto said "Hi Tara-San."

She let him go and looked him over. "My my you've grown a lot Naruto." He nodded and she led him in to the kitchen with Dakota right behind them. A few minutes latter they were seated at the table with snacks and drinks. "So tell me Naruto how have you been?"

"Well OK I guess. I'm in my last year at the academy."

"Oh that's right! Well I guess we came back at the perfect time right Dakota?"

"You bet. I'm so glad I'll be here when you graduate." They chatted for a while longer but then he had to go. As Dakota was walking Naruto to the door Kiyoshi and Kumori walked in.

Kiyoshi looked him over and said "Wow Naruto you're even cuter now!" Naruto just laughed. He was used to this from her.

Kumori smiled and said "Great to see you again." He nodded and Dakota led him out of the house.

Once outside he turned to her and said "I'm sorry about not remembering you sooner."

"It's alright Naruto it's been years."

Shaking his head he said "Still…..that's no excuse."

Seeing that he was really upset about this Dakota pulled him in to a tight embrace. "Naruto forget about it. You remember and that's all that matters."

He returned the embrace then pulled away. "Well I gotta go now."

"Be careful Naruto." She said as he walked away.

"You know Dakota….he's not cute anymore he's hot!" Kiyoshi said coming up behind her. Dakota's cheeks darkened slightly as she turned back towards the house. "I saw that!" Her sister called.

Dakota ignored her and hurried up to her room. That night she laid in bed thinking of how much Naruto had changed. He seemed distant more so than before. Like when they first met and he was still scared. The most changes in him though were his appearance. He was about 5'6" now and from what she had seen he's got a good amount of muscle. Not to much so he looks like one of those body builder guys though. His hair was longer and seemed even more wild than before and his eyes……they seemed duller. She couldn't tell why yet but she knew she'd find out.

Rolling over on to her side she thought 'No one's going to hurt you anymore Naru-Kun…' She then fell in to a deep sleep. The next morning Dakota got up early to help her mother unpack. Her father Raven was away on a mission so he wasn't there to help. "Mom….I was wondering. When I saw Naruto I saw a lot of changes in him. Have I changed any?"

After placing a box on the floor Tara turned to her daughter and said "Everyone changes as they grow up. Not just on the outside but inside as well. You've matured and grown in to a responsible, caring, and friendly young woman."

"I'm just glad to be back."

"I know honey. It broke my heart to have to take you away from here then to hear you crying at night." Every night for several months after they had moved away from Konoha Dakota would cry her self to sleep. She just missed her friend so much. A while latter Dakota went to her room to finish unpacking. She had just finished when her mother called to her from the kitchen. Once there Dakota saw her mother was holding a boxed lunch. "I thought it would be nice if you went and had lunch with Naruto."

Taking the food Dakota said "Thanks mom." Tara watched her daughter leave with a smile on her face. When she arrived at the academy the students were just beginning to come out. It took a few minutes to spot Naruto. "Hey!" She called as she hurried up to him.

Naruto smiled when he saw her and asked "Hey what are you doing here?"

Holding the boxed lunch up to him she said "I brought lunch."

"Thanks! Come on we can eat over here." He said taking her by the hand and leading her towards a tree. They sat and began to eat. "How was the academy where you went?"

"It was OK I guess. My sensei was pretty nice. Though I would have loved to have had Iruka teach me. You're lucky he's your sensei."

"Yeah but Iruka-sensei can be really tuff sometimes."

"Did you learn any other jutsu's other than what was taught at the academy?"

A sheepish look crossed his face as he said "Just one. It's called…..Sexy no jutsu." She quirked and eye brow but didn't ask. "How about you?" He asked quickly trying to divert the attention off of him.

"Yeah I learned to summon." Dakota said proudly.

"Cool what animal is it?"

A big smile crossed her face as she said "Well it's one of the best animals in the world! The fox."

His eyes widened in surprise. Then he shook his head and said "No way. I don't believe it."

"It's true!" He gave her a non believing look. "I'll show you then." Naruto watched as she bit her thumb and went quickly through a set of hand seals. Slamming her left hand down on the ground she cried "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" A puff of white smoke appeared and when it cleared there sat a pure white two tailed fox. Naruto's eyes widened and his jaw dropped.

The fox shook itself then turned to look at Dakota. "What is it Dakota-Chan?"

Smiling she said "Nothing really. I was just showing Naruto I could summon members of the fox family." The white fox turned to look at Naruto then looked back at her.

"So that's Naruto." Dakota nodded. Grinning the fox winked. "Well if that's all then I'm gonna head back home." After that it disappeared in to a puff of smoke.

"Wow that was really cool." Naruto said coming out of his surprise. Dakota smiled in response. "I can't wait to learn how to summon." He said happily.

"Well Naruto I'll let you know now it takes a lot of work and a lot of patience." She said seriously.

He nodded in understanding. Reaching in to the box that had held their lunch Dakota pulled out two huge slices of cake. "Those look really good." He said as he eyed the cake. She handed him a slice and they both dug in. A few minutes latter Naruto called her and when she looked up he smeared frosting on her face.

"Hey!" She cried surprised. He just laughed. Scooping up some of her own frosting Dakota smeared it on to his face. That started a food fight. After a large amount of cake was smashed in to her hair Dakota called "Alright this means war!" Laughing Naruto jumped to his feet and ran off. She was right behind him. "Come back!"

"No way!" He cried as he continued to run. As they ran they weaved in and out of the crowds of students. Dakota was finally able to tackle him after he slowed down a little to avoid slamming in to someone. "Crud!" He cried as he saw Dakota getting closer but it was to late. Now he laid flat on his back and she sat on his stomach. "Come on Dakota! You can take a little joke can't you?"

She smirked and said "Why yes I can Naruto! But you need to know that some people may want pay back and they do get it."

His eyes widened and he had time to cry "Kota-Chan!" Before a large amount of cake was shoved in his face and hair. Once she finished she looked over her handy work. Naruto wiped the cake from his eyes and was able to see she was still smirking. Sighing he said "OK OK you win."

Laughing Dakota said "Of course I did! You've never been able to beat me." He scowled at her in response. "Aw don't be like that. One of these days you'll beat me." Then before she even knew what was happening Naruto flipped them over so he was sitting on her stomach. Blinking in surprise she looked up and saw he was smirking.

"You mean like now." He said then proceeded to tickle her.

"Gah! No! S-St-Stop!" Dakota cried between her laughter. She was very ticklish if you knew where. Naruto had discovered this a few months after they had become friends. "GAHHHHH! N-N-N-Naruto s-stop y-you w-w-win!" She gasped. Tears were rolling down her cheeks she was laughing so hard. When he stopped she laid on the ground gasping for air. Groaning she said "That….was….so…..n-not fair!"

Then the sound of someone clearing their throat reached their ears. Turning they saw that a small crowed had surrounded them. "So…what are you two doing?" Iruka asked with an eye brow raised.

"Oh hey Iruka!" Dakota said smiling.

"Hey Dakota. So tell me what are you two up to?"

Naruto shrugged and said "Nothing just goofing off."

Iruka knelt down next to them and said "Yeah well why are you covered in cake?"

"Meh….Naruto started that."

"Hey! What's with ratting me out."

Shrugging she said "Easy I still have a mark from the last time I lied to Iruka."

Naruto flinched. "Ouch I remember that."

"That's a good thing." Iruka said. Naruto and Dakota glanced at each other and shrugged.

"If you say so." Naruto said.

Shaking his head Iruka said "Alright you two need to go home and get cleaned up."

"Actually no we don't" He looked at her confused. "Well when I first graduated from the academy I got a lot of baby sitting missions so I learned a trick or two."

"Like what?" Iruka asked.

"Well….let me get this lump off of me and I'll show you." She said as she then pushed Naruto off of her. Climbing to her feet she said "Alright Naruto stand up." He stood and she did a quick set of hand seals. "Cleaning no jutsu!" Dakota called and in a flash they were both spotless.

"Hm…..useful jutsu." Iruka murmured.

"That was cool." A voice said from behind Dakota. Turning she saw it was a girl with short hair and pupil less eyes.

Dakota smiled and said "Why thank you! What's your name?"

The girls face flushed lightly as she said "Hinata."

"Well It's nice to meet you Hinata! You can call me Dakota." Hinata smiled shyly in response.

"You obviously know Naruto very well." A boy with sun glasses said.

"Of course I do. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't know him."

"Why are you friends with him?" A boy asked.

Dakota felt a twinge of anger as she said "Because I want to."

"Well I guess he's got to at least have one friend…..no one else wants to be."

Her anger rose and she was in front of the boy in seconds flat. Grabbing him by his shirt collar she pulled him up and said "Don't you ever talk like that about Naruto. He's a great person and it's your own fault if you're to stupid to see that." The boy looked a little scared at this point. Feeling a hand on her shoulder Dakota turned her head and saw it was Naruto.

"Calm down Dakota. It's OK."

With a growl she said "No it's not! If only these losers knew-" She was cut off before she could finish.

"Dakota stop!" Iruka called. Looking at him she saw he looked a little panicked.

"But Iruka-" She began before he cut her off again.

"No Dakota you know better than that." He said firmly. With another growl she let the boy go and turned away from him. Naruto was giving her a worried look.

Sighing she said "I'm sorry Naruto……it's just that….well….I hate it."

A sad smile crossed his face as he said "Yeah I know but you need to calm down. You can't go and beat up every jerk in the village." She gave him a look and he said "I don't mean you can't I mean you shouldn't."

A look of pain, sorrow, and a small amount of happiness crossed her face as she said "One of these days they will all regret it." He nodded silently. "Well then! I'm off to see if I can find Kiyoshi or Kumori so I can spar with them." She said smiling brightly.

"You still spar with them?" Naruto asked surprised.

"Yes I do. In fact their pretty much the only one's besides dad I spar against."

"But their high level."

Dakota shrugged and said "So? How do you think I managed to get this far? The academy I went to wasn't exactly a top notch place."

"Wow I never would have guessed."

"Oh yeah one more thing before I leave. Mom wants both you and Iruka to come over tonight."

Iruka nodded and said "Tell her I'll be there."

Winking at Iruka Dakota said "You better watch it Iruka……when mom sees you she's gonna go in to her 'skinny, still growing, looking quite sick for his age, maybe a tapeworm? He does so much for our village's children' (I borrowed this from a story I read….don't remember which one though sorry! If it's from someone whose reading this then let me know which story and who you are and I'll give ya better credit than this. Oh and I tweaked the last part a little also) mode."

Iruka twitched slightly at this and said "Yes…I figured as much." Tara was always saying he never ate enough and that he was far to skinny. He never quite understood this part of her though. Then Dakota waved goodbye and disappeared in to a puff of smoke.

"Man I gotta learn that." Naruto murmured.


	4. Introductions begin

**_Authoress note:_**Hey everyone I'm back with the next chappie. I hope you guys like this one. Now for reviews! _Leo:_ --Huggles back-- Yup I thought it would be cool for her to summon foxes. If I make it so Naruto can summon as well I might make it so he summons something besides the frogs. I'm not sure yet. _Iceninjav2:_ Thanks! I'm glad you think I can write OC fics well. I did my best to put in a meet and greet with some of the other characters. I know it may seem like they were mean --Who am I kidding? They were mean...-- but that's just the first meeting. I may make it so their nicer latter in the story but I'm not sure yet. Don't worry all of the rookie nine and Gai's team will show up eventually lol. _Konoka:_ --Sniff-- You're sooooo nice! I'm glad you like to read my stories. I promise I'll do my best to keep up with all...--Tries to remember how many stories she's got going-- uh...oh heck I can't remember lol. I know there are a few but I'm gonna do my best to keep up with them all! Well enjoy everyone and R and R please!

**_Disclaimer:_** Eh...I can't remember if I did a disclaimer for this story yet...I don't think I did. Anyways! As I'm sure you all know I don't own Naruto or any of the other characters. I'm guessing you can tell what is mine and isn't so I'll leave it at that.

_**

* * *

**_It had been several days since Dakota had returned to Konoha. At the moment she was on a mission on the opposite end of the village of where she lived. It was nothing big. Just one of those lame D class missions. For the most part Dakota liked to baby sit but you can only do it for so long before you go nuts! 

Anyways Naruto on the other hand sat in his usual seat at his favorite ramen stand (I know the name but I don't know how to spell it. If someone can help me out here that'd be great). Like always he was alone. This time it seemed a little odd. Since Dakota had returned there had only been a few instances where he was alone and that was usually when he had to head home for the night. Sighing he pushed his noodles around with his chopsticks. He couldn't wait until he graduated then he wouldn't have to sit around alone as much. Someone sat down next to him but he didn't bother to look up. That is until an all to familiar voice reached his ears.

"So what kind are you going to get Sasuke-Kun?"

Naruto inwardly shuddered at the sound of Haruno Sakura's voice. Glancing over he saw Sasuke was right next to him and Sakura was on the Uchiha's other side. 'Well…..I guess the world just wants to screw with me today.' Naruto thought. Placing his usual smile on his face he said "Hi Sakura-Chan!" The pink haired girl turned to him.

She looked him over then said "Oh hi Naruto." He didn't even know why he bothered. Sakura didn't give a rats ass about him.

Sasuke looked him over then said "So where's that weird girl at?" Naruto looked at him confused.

Rolling her eyes Sakura said "The one who says she's you friend."

Naruto glared at them. "First off Her names Dakota and second she's not weird."

Sasuke smirked and said "Pretty defensive of your girlfriend huh?"

Naruto's glare intensified and he said angrily "Shut up Sasuke. You need to mind your own business." He then laid down the money he owed for his food and began to leave. As he was leaving he distinctly heard the words 'Idiot' 'Loser' and a few others. Sighing he shook his head and just as he was leaving the stand a person appeared in front of him.

It was Dakota and she had a big smile on her face. "Naruto! I was hoping I'd run in to you." She said happily.

He blinked in surprise not expecting to run in to her. A smile spread across his face a few seconds latter as he said "Hey Dakota. I thought you were on a mission."

Dakota's face visibly paled. "I was." Worried Naruto asked if she was OK. "It was horrible!" She exclaimed.

"What? What was you're mission?"

"I….I need to sit down." She murmured. Then she made her way back to the bar and sat down.

"Well?"

"I've never ever in my life met such a wild kid!" He looked at her confused. "It was a simple babysitting mission. I've done a ton of them but this time….oh man he was everywhere!"

Naruto sat down next to her and said "It couldn't of been that bad."

"It was. He was like a little monster! One minute he was jumping on the furniture the next he was throwing all the food out of the refrigerator!"

"Whoa…." Naruto said surprised.

Then a smile spread across Dakotas face. "But I got him."

"Got him?" Naruto asked a little worried.

"With the help of Jacy I was able to catch him. I then tied him to a chair. By the time I finished cleaning up the mess he had made his mother had come back home."

"Wow…I hope I never have to baby sit him. By the way whose Jacy?"

Laying her head on the counter Dakota said "Jacy is the two tailed fox you met the other day."

"You used a summons to catch a little kid?"

She nodded sleepily and said "Jacy doesn't mind…..he's a really good friend of mine." Naruto nodded but before he could say anything Sakura's voice interrupted him.

"Hi you're Dakota right?" Dakota turned to look at the girl and silently nodded her head. Sakura smiled and said "Well I'm Sakura and this is Sasauke."

"Meh……nice to meet you." Dakota said sitting up.

"You just moved back here right?" Sakura asked.

Dakota nodded and said "Yeah….my family and I."

"Why'd you move back?" Sasuke asked.

Dakota glanced at Naruto then said "We didn't want to go in the first place but we had to. Then when the chance for us to move back arrived we did as fast as we could."

"You should have just stayed where you were." Sasuke said.

Dakota looked at him surprised. "Excuse me but what do you mean by that?" She demanded.

"Ever since you came back the idiot's been even more annoying." To say the least Dakota was surprised.

"Sasuke shut up and go away." Naruto said. Blinking Dakota turned to look at him and saw he looked mad. Sasuke glared at him in response.

Sakura sighed and said "Come on Sasuke lets just leave."

Dakota and Naruto watched the two leave in silence. "Man what's their problem?"

Shrugging Naruto said "Sasuke's always been like that and Sakura's totally obsessed with him."

"That's kind of creepy." She said turning back to face the bar. He nodded in agreement. A few minutes latter a bowl of ramen was placed in front of Dakota who began to eat happily.

"I was wondering about something." She looked to him with a mouth full of ramen and quirked an eye brow in a way that meant 'yeah?' "Would you spar against me?" He asked a little hesitantly. Naruto was worried that she would say no or worse laugh in his face.

Dakota quickly swallowed her noodles and said "You bet! I've wanted to see how good you've gotten since I got back."

A big grin spread across his face as he said "I'm gonna beat you." He should have known the she would never do that to him.

Dakota grinned as well and said "You wish."


	5. Sparring

**_Authoress note:_** Hey everyone! Sorry it's been so long since my last update. The internet on my lap top wasn't working and all the info I have for my stories is on my lap top so I was stuck. Now for reviews! _Konoka:_ I know sadly my nephew is like that. He just turned 2 and is a lil monster sometimes. Especially if I have to babysit him. I know Sasuke was mean but I might make him nicer latter on. _Leo:_ Yes there is only so much baby sitting a person can do before they go nuts. I love my nephew but AGH! --Rocks back and forth in a corner-- No...more...babysitting...--Cough-- Anyways thanks for reviewin everyone! Enjoy and R and R please!

**_

* * *

_**Naruto barely had time to dodge several kunai as they came flying at him. Twisting around he saw Dakota was standing there holding more kunai and smirking. She was good. Really good. They had been sparring for nearly half an hour now and just as Naruto had suspected she was good but that doesn't mean he wasn't a match for her. With a smirk of his own he disappeared. 

Dakota stiffened and used all of her senses to track him. 'There!' She thought as she ducked down and narrowly avoided the kick that had been aimed at her head. Spinning around she returned the kick. This seemed to continue for ever because they seemed to be evenly matched. Jumping away from each other they stood still for a few seconds to catch their breath.

"You're good." Naruto said.

"Thanks. You are to but it's time to end this." Throwing several kunai and shurikan Dakota did a quick set of hand seals and created a few clones. After she sent them off towards Naruto as well. While the clones were fighting him she began yet another set of seals. Just as Naruto defeated the last clone he heard a cry of "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

"Uh oh..." He said as he turned and saw Jacy the two tailed fox standing in front of Dakota.

"What's up Dakota-chan?" Jacy asked.

"Just a friendly spar Jacy. You know what to do." A foxy grin crossed his face a he suddenly began running towards Naruto. Naruto created several clones but it was no use.

Jacy plowed through them and soon had Naruto flat on his back. His paws were on his shoulders and he was sitting on Naruto's stomach. "We win." The snow white fox said.

"Man Dakota that was great!" Naruto said a few minutes latter as they sat catching their breath.

"Thanks Naruto-kun. You're really good yourself. If you keep working hard I'm sure you'll be able to beat me soon."

A big smile crossed his face. No one had ever said that about him. "Do you think I'll be able to learn to summon?"

"Well yeah Naruto. If you work hard like I said." He nodded happily. If Dakota said he could do it then he knew he could. Standing Dakota said "Well I better be heading home. You wanna come?"

"Nah I'm gonna head home and take a shower."

"Alright but come over latter if you want. He nodded and she headed off.

"Hi honey how'd the mission go?" Tara asked as she saw her daughter enter the house.

"It was OK except the kid was a monster."

Laughing Tara said "Well at least you got paid for it right?"

"Yeah then Naruto and I sparred for a while."

"Really? Is he any good?"

"Yeah mom he's really good."

Her mother smiled brightly and said "That's great! I bet he'll pass the graduation exam with flying colors." Dakota agreed then turned to head up the stairs. "One more thing Dakota." She turned back and her mom said "Iruka came by today. He wanted to talk to you but I told him you were on a mission. He asked if you could stop by the academy tomorrow."

Dakota was confused. Why would Iruka want her to come to the academy? "Alright thanks mom." She said then headed upstairs. Late the next morning Dakota headed to the academy. She had to ask a few people who were walking the halls where Iruka's class room was so that took a little time. When she finally reached his classroom she could hear him talking.

"Alright next up is Naruto." Dakota slowly and quietly opened the door. No one except Iruka noticed her. He gave her a slight nod and turned back to Naruto. She turned to look at him as well. "OK Naruto show me your transformation." Naruto nodded and did the hand seals. When the smoke cleared Dakota's eyes almost bugged out of her head. The transformation was horrible. He had tried to turn in to Iruka but something went wrong. Dakota studied him silently. "Naruto! The exams are in two weeks at this rate you're going to fail...again!" Iruka cried in frustration. Shock filled Dakota. Fail again? Naruto had failed? But that was wrong. This was all wrong.

Naruto smiled sheepishly and said "Sorry Iruka-sensei."

Iruka sighed and said "Alright Naruto...back in line please." As Dakota watched it became clear to her.

"Nice going idiot." A boy said as Naruto passed him.

Shaking her head Dakota thought 'Why Naruto?'

Iruka turned back to her and said 'You can come in now." When Naruto saw her enter his face paled visibly.

Dakota shot him and look then turned back to Iruka. "You wanted to see me?"

Sighing Iruka said "Yes. Thank you for coming in Dakota." She nodded still clueless as to what he wanted. "I wanted to know if you were willing to observe today's class." Seeing the confused look on her face he came up to her and leaned down to her ear. "You saw how he did right?" He asked softly. She nodded. "Well he's been doing that for years now. I know he's better than that but he refuses to show it."

"Years?" She asked shocked. Iruka nodded and she asked "Why?"

Once more Iruka sighed and said "I'm not sure but I think if you saw what he does you could you know...help him."

Dakota glanced at Naruto and saw he along with everyone else was watching. Wondering what was going on. "I'll do it." Iruka gave her a thankful smile. Dakota went to the back of the room and sat down at a desk. Naruto twisted around to look at her. He didn't look to happy. Dakota's face was pleasantly blank. This seemed to anger him. Turning back to the front of the room he sent a glare to Iruka.


	6. A little bit of trouble

**_Auhtoress note:_** Hey everyone! Sorry it's been so long since I've last updated. I'm still fighting with writers block (Sadly that goes for ALL of my stories!). I did my best to make this chappie good. There is one warning for this chappie. It has a bit of bad language. Nothing serious or major though. Now to thank my absolutely wonderful reviewers! _Leo:_ lol yup it's a white fox! _Shadow-Ninja-Fay:_ I'm glad you think this is a good story. Once again I'm sorry for the long wait! _LbcLostKid:_ Here's the update! _Konoka:_ Well you'll find out in a while why he acts like that at the academy...though not in this chappie lol. Sorry but you'll have to wait! OK everyone I just want to say thank you for taking the time to read my story and that the next update may take a while. I'm going on vacation soon. While I'm gone I may be able to write a little bit but I wont have access to the internet sorry. Well that's all for now. R and R please!

_**

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**_Naruto was torn. Should he act like he normally did or should he act like he does around Dakota? He just didn't know. The lesson continued and he could feel Dakota watching him. 'Why? Why did you have to bring her in Iruka-sensei?' He wondered. By lunch he had a pounding head ache. 

Completely ignoring Iruka and Dakota he headed out side to eat his lunch alone. Dakota watched him go with a frown.

"Dakota what do you think?" Iruka asked her as she came to stand by his desk.

"Well honestly Iruka I'm not exactly sure yet but I may have an idea."

"Can you help him?"

Crossing her arms over her stomach she said "Most likely yes but it wont be easy." The two talked for a few more minutes then Dakota headed out side in search of Naruto. She found him sitting under a tree by himself. A pang of sadness and anger shot through her when she saw this. She was angry because even after all these years he was still alone. Why did the people of the village have to be such asses? Sitting down next to him she smiled and said "Hey Naruto-kun." He glanced at her and she saw he still looked angry. "Naruto-kun please don't be mad." She didn't want to see him like that.

"Why shouldn't I be?" He asked as he stared down at his lap.

"Because Iruka's just worried about you is all."

"Why? There's nothing wrong." He said as he shoved the last bit of his lunch in his mouth.

"Naruto you know you can't lie to me." Shaking his head Naruto leaned his back against the tree trunk and closed his eyes. "Hey are you OK?" She asked as she suddenly noticed there was something there besides his anger.

"It's just a head ache." He mumbled. Dakota studied him for a few minutes then grabbed him by his shoulders. "Whoa! What are you doing?" He asked in shock as she moved and laid his head on her lap.

"Shh Naruto or do you want you head ache to get worse?" He stopped fidgeting and she smiled and said "Now close your eyes and relax." Even though he didn't know what she was doing he closed his eyes trusting that she wouldn't do anything bad. She watched silently as he slowly began to relax. 'About time!' She thought. Running her fingers through his soft hair she studied his face. He had changed so much over the years.

Naruto tensed slightly when he felt Dakota run her fingers through his hair but relaxed once more after a few seconds. It felt good…….really good. As he laid there enjoying the feeling he couldn't help but feel as if someone had done this before but he couldn't remember who. Then slowly a memory surfaced.

**BEGINNING OF FLASH BACK**

It had been one of the many nights Naruto had slept over at Dakota's house when they were little. He had woken up from a horrible nightmare terrified and crying. Laying curled in to a ball with his back to Dakota he cried for what seemed like forever. Then suddenly he felt someone wrap their arms around him from behind. Startled he turned to see it was Dakota.

She had a sad look on her face as she whispered "It'll be OK Naru-kun." He turned so he was facing her and looked at her with wide pained filled eyes. Smiling softly at him she said "I'm here for you Naru-kun. Go ahead and cry if you want." Then she pulled him against her and ran her small fingers through his hair just as her mother had done for her when she was upset. The feeling soon began to relax Naruto and he slowly fell back to sleep

**END OF FLASH BACK**

"Kota-chan….I'm sorry." He whispered as he opened his eyes half way.

Smiling down at him Dakota said "I know Naruto. I know." Ever since they were little neither one could stay mad at the other for very long before they made up again. "Feel better?" He nodded as he closed his eyes once more. 'Good.' She thought. Dakota didn't like to see him in pain and always tried her best to make him feel better.

"Well now don't you two look comfortable." A voice suddenly said. Naruto and Dakota quickly looked up and saw it was Sasuke but he wasn't alone. As usual Sakura was with him but Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji were there as well.

Glaring at Sasuke from his position on Dakota's lap Naruto said "Shut up Sasuke and go away." This only caused Sasuke to glare.

"That was a real nice job you did in class Naruto." Sakura said with a smirk.

"You know Sakura people who act like bitches when their young tend to age faster." Dakota said looking up at the girl.

"How dare you call me a bitch!" She shrieked causing everyone to flinch.

Sitting up Naruto said "Come on Dakota lets go somewhere else." Dakota rose to her feet and they began walking away when Sakura spoke again.

"Hold it bitch!" She spat.

As Dakota turned back to look at her she saw a flash of silver. With the flick of a wrist she caught the kunai that had been aimed at her chest. Narrowing her eyes Dakota asked "Is that a challenge?"

"You bet it is."

Dakota studied the kunai for a minute then threw it. The weapon landed at Sakura's feet as she said "There's no way I'm fighting someone who hasn't even graduated from the academy yet." This caused Sakura's anger to grow even more. She lunged at Dakota aiming a punch at her face but before she knew it she was pinned to the ground on her stomach. Dakota had a tight hold on her arms and was pressing her knee firmly in to her back. Needless to say Sakura was shocked.

"Sakura!" Ino cried out in surprise.

"What do you take me for?" Dakota asked the pink haired girl.

"Let me go!" She hissed.

"I will but there's something I have to tell you first."

"What?" She demanded angrily.

"Nobody likes bitches Sakura. Grow up and act like a true Kunoichi." Dakota said then got up off of the girl. Sakura didn't say anything. She just glared at the older girl. Ino helped her to her feet as Naruto and Dakota walked away.

"That was impressive." Naruto said.

Smirking Dakota said "Thanks Naru-kun." The sound of a bell filled the air seconds latter causing Naruto to groan.

"Damn we spent the whole lunch hour fighting with Sasuke and Sakura." He grumbled.

"Oh well there's nothing we can do about it now. You better head to class or you'll be late."

"You're not coming?"

"Nope. Sorry Naru-kun I've got some stuff to do. I'll see you latter" He nodded and she headed off. Naruto watched her go. He was slightly disappointed that she wasn't staying.


	7. Introductions continue

_**Authoress Note:**_ Hey everyone! I'm so sorry it's been so long since I last updated. I was in Colorado for a while and I still have writers block. I tried my best with this chappie and I hope you all like it. Now for the reviews! _Konoka:_ I'm glad you liked how Dakota was beatin up Sakura lol. There might be more of that in future chappies but I'm not sure. _Genkai Haretsu:_ Hehe...Kodak moment huh? Well...now that I think about it...it sorta was lol. _TrunksgirlBlaze27:_ Sorry for the long wait! I know what you mean when you say Sakura needs a good butt kicking in the beginning of the series. Latter on she does get a little better though...I think lol. Well thank's for all the reviews and once more I'm soooooo sorry for the long wait. R and R please!

_**

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**_Dakota laid in bed that night staring up at her ceiling. How could she get Naruto to show his true potential? She'd been thinking about it since she had left him at the academy earlier that day. Naruto was acting like he had no clue about what he was doing because he wanted the attention. Even if it was negative attention he wanted it. To Dakota that was extremely obvious. 

When Naruto saw her he had been angry because he knew that she knew that he was actually better than he was acting. Iruka even knew this but he was unable to do anything. Dakota was hoping that she would be able to get him to stop pretending that he had no clue as to what he was doing and show everyone his true abilities.

Sighing in frustration Dakota climbed out of bed and went down to the kitchen. Maybe a cold glass of water would settle her mind enough so she could get some sleep. Once she had her water she went to the window and looked out at the night sky. 'Please…..please let me find a way to help Naruto to see that he doesn't need to act like he's an idiot.' She thought as she gazed at the bright stars.

--------

Naruto meanwhile was also having trouble sleeping. He sat on his bed in his small apartment gazing up at the stars just like Dakota. He was upset that she had seen him in class that day. Acting like an idiot and causing trouble is how he learned to get attention after Dakota and her family had moved away. 'It was so hard when you left Dakota.' He thought sadly.

Naruto had tried to behave as he had when she was still there but since she wasn't there to help him out people continued their abuse or worse ignored him. Naruto hated being ignored even more than the abuse. He just couldn't stand it. As the years went on and he grew older he chose to act up so he could get attention. Wrapping his arms around himself he thought 'As time passed I began to think you were never coming back…….and in turn I buried the memories I had of you believing the you were never going to come back. But deep inside in a place I wasn't aware of I still hoped and waited for you to come back…….It's the reason why I still wore the necklace you had given me.'

That was why when Dakota had showed up out of the blue he didn't remember her. The memories were still buried but when she pulled the necklace out and mentioned the promise and his old nick name the memories came flooding out like a damn had burst. Naruto was very glad to have Dakota back. Hopefully now things would be better and like he had done with the memories of her burry the memories of the years she had been gone. He knew he could never fully forget them after all they did happen and there was no way of changing it. All he could do is move on and make sure the future will be a better place. A place where hopefully Dakota would remain.

--------

Dakota slept late that morning. She didn't have any missions or anything else to do so what was the point in getting up early? The plan for helping Naruto was at the back of her mind for the moment. After a late breakfast she went out to train. At the training grounds she was surprised to see kids around her age there. Wasn't there class today? Looking them over she recognized them as classmates of Naruto's. Ignoring them Dakota began to practice her aim. Pulling out shuriken she aimed then quickly threw them. All but one landed dead center. Pulling out more shuriken she began to take aim when someone called to her.

"Hey you! You're the girl who was with Naruto right?" A male voice called. Turning Dakota saw it was one of the kids from Naruto's class. She looked them over for a few seconds then nodded.

"Your name is……Dakota right?" A girl with white eyes asked. Dakota instantly recognized the girl. She had me her a few days before.

"Yeah and you're Hinata right?" The girl nodded silently. Dakota retrieved her weapons then went to stand in front of them. Cocking her head to the side she studied them once more and asked "What's up? I thought you guys had class today."

"The sensei's are having a meeting so all lessons are canceled for today." A boy with sunglasses said.

"Ah I see! Glad to see some people don't slack off when class is canceled. Anyways I remember seeing you two before but I don't think we've been introduced." She said addressing the boy in sunglasses and another with a puppy on his head.

The boy with the puppy smirked and said "I'm Kiba and this is Akamaru."

"I am Shino." The other boy said. Dakota thought for a minute and remembered Naruto mentioning a few things about them. Akamaru was Kiba's ninja dog and Shino was a bug user. He had also mentioned that Hinata was a Hyuuga.

Smiling she said "Well it's nice meeting you guys. You can call me Dakota."

"Um…is it true you and Naruto were friends when you were younger?" Hinata asked.

Face visibly brightening Dakota said "Yeah I met him when he was three and we've been friends ever since."

"But when you showed up at the academy he didn't know who you were." Kiba said.

Arching an eye brow she said "Well what do expect? After all I was only five when I left and people change." Kiba eyed her but she ignored it.

"Why were you gone so long?" Shino asked.

"My father was assigned a prolonged mission and we were all able to go so he didn't want to leave us behind."

"Naruto-Kun must have taken it pretty hard." Hinata said sadly.

Dakota's mind flashed back to the field of flowers where she had said goodbye to her beloved friend. Sighing she said "Yeah he did….and it didn't help the way the village treated him."

"Well he shouldn't act like an idiot all the time." Kiba said.

Dakota's temper flared and it apparently showed on her face because Hinata said quickly "Kiba-kun doesn't mean that!" Forcing her anger down she nodded silently.

"What I don't understand is why the villagers treat him so badly. Sure he pulls pranks and stuff but for the most part Naruto is a pretty decent person. You know why though don't you Dakota?" Shino asked.

A sad smile crossed Dakota's face as she said "Yes….yes I do."

"When you first showed up you said 'If these losers only knew' before Iruka-sensei stopped you. What did you mean by that?"

Sad smile still in place Dakota said "I wish I could say. I really do but I can't."

"Why not?" Hinata asked.

"The main reason is because well……it's not my place to say. The other is that there is a law forbidding anyone to say."

"A law but why?" Kiba asked.

"I honestly don't know why. Personally I think everyone should be allowed to know the truth but the Hokage feels differently."

There was silence for a while before Shino said "I've noticed that you are very protective of Naruto."

Smiling once more she said "Well yeah. I used to get in so many fights when we were little because of it that my parents fully expected me to come home with some sort of injury everyday. Though I am proud to say the other people were a lot worse off than I was."

"Why are you so protective of him?" Hinata asked.

Without missing a beat Dakota said "We're very good friends and we know everything about each other. Actually to me he's like a little brother and as such I love him and will protect him." Hinata nodded silently.

"Dakota-Chan! Hey Dakota-Chan!" Naruto's voice suddenly rang through the air. Turning Dakota saw him hurrying over to them.

"Hey Naruto what's up?" She asked.

Grinning he said "Mom sent me to find you. She said she wants you back home to help out with dinner."

Confused she cocked her head and said "Dinner? But it's barely even two o'clock."

Naruto's grin faded slightly as he said "You don't remember?"

She racked her brain for a minute then it clicked. "Oh yeah! Man I can't believe I forgot."

Naruto shrugged and said "Well at least you remembered."

Turning to Hinata, Kiba, and Shino Dakota said "Sorry but I have to run. Maybe I'll see you guys around."

"Bye!" Hinata called after Naruto and Dakota as they hurried off to Dakota's house.


	8. Remembering

_**Authoress note:**_ Hey everyone I'm back. This would have been up two days ago but the site wouldn't let me upload it. Anyways sorry it took so long. Now for the reviews! _Konoka:_ I'm glad that you understand why Dakota's so protective of Naruto. I just had to put that because they've known each other so long and she always intervened when someone tried to hurt him even if they were adults. OK so that's all for now. R and R please!

_**

* * *

**_Several hours latter the Kano's and Naruto sat around the table. There was all kinds of food set out. So much that the table actually sagged a little in the middle. With a smile Raven said "I'm sure you all are aware of what today is but for those who may be a little dense (There were a few snickers at this) today marks the tenth (Err….I think it's the tenth….) anniversary that Naruto came in to our lives and in turn became a member of the family." 

Everyone cheered at this and Dakota said "And there will be many more years to come!" The cheers were even louder after that. The family sat eating and talking for hours on end. Remembering things some good and some bad.

After Raven had finished a story of when Dakota and Naruto were little Tara said "I remember when we redid your apartment. That day I learned that three year olds should be no where near paint." Laughter filled the room as everyone remembered the events of that day

**FLASH BACK BEGINS**

It was around ten o'clock in the morning and Naruto's tiny apartment was full of people. The Kano family had gone out and gotten all kinds of things to make Naruto's apartment a more livable space. "Alright everyone we've got a lot of work ahead of us but if we work together we can get it done." Raven said.

"Yeah we'll make this place into the best apartment in Konoha!" Kiyoshi cried. Nearly everything that was in the apartment was thrown out but considering there wasn't much to begin with this wasn't a big deal. It was a little hard for Naruto to see his belongings thrown away. After all he had had them for as long as he could remember.

Seeing that he looked upset Tara knelt down next to him and said "Don't worry Naruto. I know it all seems a bit over whelming right now but you'll love it when we're done."

Once the place was cleared out they placed sheets and tarps on the floors so as to not get paint on them. They were planning to paint the whole apartment. Even though it was small it would take a while. Raven, Kiyoshi, and Kumara worked on painting the living room while Tara, Dakota, and Naruto painted the bedroom. Tara opened the can of paint and Naruto peered in to it in amazement.

"Wow……it's so pretty."

Dakota looked at it and said "It's the same color as your eyes Naru-kun."

His eyes widened and he asked "Really?" She nodded and he smiled.

"OK you two we better get started." Tara said handing them each a paint brush. "Now pay attention to what I do." She said as she proceeded to show the two young children what to do. They watched as she dipped the brush in to the can and brushed off some of the excess. She then turned to the wall and showed them how to paint. After a few minutes the two got their chance to try it. They did exactly as Tara had done.

Tara couldn't help but laugh at the intense look of concentration on their faces. It just seemed to funny to see children their age concentrating so hard on one particular thing. Soon Tara joined them in painting though made sure to keep an eye on them. After all Naruto was three and Dakota was four……if they weren't watched they could get in to a lot of trouble with that much paint. Everything was going smoothly until they reached the third wall.

Naruto had gone to dip his brush in the bucket of paint and was returning to the wall when he tripped. With a surprised cry he landed on top of his paint brush. Having noticed this out of the corner of her eye Tara hurried over to see if he was alright. "Naruto are you hurt?" She asked worried. By this time Dakota had reached them as well. Naruto sat up and they saw the front of his shirt was covered in blue paint. He looked down at it and tears welled up in his eyes. "Oh Naruto it's OK." Tara said hurrying to pull him in to a hug.

"No it's not." He cried. The shirt was an old hand me down from Kumori that Tara had given to him. It wasn't exactly new in fact it was one of the more worn hand me downs he had received but to him it was new not to mention something he cherished.

Dakota moved so she was in front of him. She understood why he was crying. "It's OK Naru-kun we can get you a new shirt. How about one with a dragon on it?"

"R-really?" He asked sniffing slightly.

Dakota nodded and said "Yup. Right Mommy?"

Tara couldn't help but smile. "Of course and well even get some matching shorts."

Still sniffling slightly Naruto smiled and said "OK!" Now I'm sure you're wondering why he was crying over a worn shirt. Well it's because it came from the Kano family. People who cared about him. When ever they gave him something he made sure to try his best to take care of it. No one had ever given him something because they cared only because they were forced to so it was something very special to Naruto.

"OK now we better finish up in here. It's almost lunch time and you know how cranky Raven and Kumori can get when their hungry." Tara said in a teasing manner as she stood. She had turned her back for only a few seconds before there was a cry of surprise. Turning to see what had happened she saw that Naruto was no longer the only one covered in paint.

Dakota was as well. She raised an eye brow in question but the two didn't notice. Instead they began to spar with their paint brushes squealing when the others made contact with them. Tara didn't have the heart to scold them about it so she waited a few minutes then got them back on track. By the time they were done painting the two children looked like smurfs.

**END OF FLASH BACK**

"And to this day I have no idea who started it." Tara said smiling. Naruto and Dakota grinned at each other. They knew but they weren't going to tell.

"It took a lot of work but we managed to make that apartment one of the best." Kumori said. The others nodded in agreement. Each room of the apartment had been painted a different shade of blue. The bedroom was the darkest and the living room was the lightest. Then the furniture was moved in. Most of it was second hand but it was still a hundred times better than what Naruto had had before. When they were finally finished Naruto had for the first time a fully furnished livable apartment.


	9. Mission: ACK NOOOOO!

_**Authoress Note:**_ Hey everyone I'm back with another chappie! OK review time! _**Konoka:**_ I know he can be really cute without realizing it. That's one of the things I love about him! I hope this is easier to read (I'm tryin really I am!) _**Demon F0rce:**_ LOL I'm glad you like this! Heck I'm glad you like all my Naruto stories lol. Well that's all for now. Enjoy and R and R!

* * *

Once more Dakota found herself stuck on a boring mission. What was it? Well it was a babysitting mission of course! Oh but this one was different. Different how you may wonder. Lets just say that instead of the typical one or two kids it was a grand total of……..six. She didn't know if she would be able to survive! The morning had started out pretty typical. 

She'd gotten up at about seven and was just getting out of the shower when her mother knocked on the bathroom door and told her she had received a scroll. So after quickly getting dressed she headed downstairs to the kitchen. There she found the scroll and her breakfast sitting on the table. Sitting down she opened the scroll and read it's contents.

Big shocker a baby sitting mission. Luckily for Dakota it said she wasn't needed until about ten that morning so she'd have some free time. At ten o'clock on the dot she was standing on the porch to the house in which she was supposed to baby sit at. Knocking on the door she waited patiently for someone to open it. Not even a minute latter the door opened to revile a woman in her fifties. She looked like a kind person.

Smiling Dakota said "Hello I'm here to baby sit for you."

A relieved smile crossed the woman's face. "Oh thank goodness! I was afraid that no one would show since it was a last minute request. Please come in."

"Yes Ma'am." Dakota stepped in to the house and looked around. It was a good sized place and was obviously well cared for.

"The children are in the living room right now. Come and I'll introduce you." Dakota followed silently after the woman. Stepping in to the living room she thought she would pass out. "Children your babysitter is here."

There were six children in total. They all sat in the living room playing with toys but instead of the expected scene of chaos the place was remarkably clean.

"Hello there my names Dakota." She said smiling at the children.

"Well know lets get the introductions over with shall we?" Dakota nodded and she continued. "This is (Going oldest to youngest) Eiko (Girl), Arisa (Girl), Izumi (Girl), Yukio (Boy), Akio (Boy),and Kazuki (Boy)."

Looking them over Dakota estimated them being between the ages of five and one. A couple looked like they may be twins.

"Now as I'm sure you can tell by looking at them Eiko and Arisa are twins as well as Yukio and Akio." Dakota nodded. "Now they've all had an early lunch so they shouldn't be hungry until I'm back. However if they do get a little hungry there are some snacks in the kitchen cupboard you may give them."

"Right. Snacks in the cupboard, Eiko and Arisa, Yukio and Akio are twins." Dakota repeated out loud.

"I shouldn't be gone any latter than two." The woman said then turned to her children. "Come give mommy a hug and kiss goodbye." The six children rushed forward to hug and kiss their mother. Once she was gone Dakota stood and looked the children over and they looked her over as well.

'Oh please let this turn out to be an easy mission!' Dakota thought desperately. To bad there was no way that that would happen. Poor Dakota had no idea what was coming. In the first ten minutes the kids were well behaved then it all went down hill.

Izumi was the one who started it all. She had been playing quietly just like her siblings when out of no where she threw a toy block at the wall. It made a very loud banging sound startling everyone. Kazuki the youngest of the six burst in to tears from the sudden shocking noise. Hurrying to the little boy Dakota scooped him up and tried to sooth him by rocking him.

"Izumi I'm sure you know better than to throw your toys like that." Dakota scolded. The little girl looked at her for a second then picked up another block and threw it at the wall.

"Izumi please stop throwing your toys." She said still trying to get Kazuki to calm down. Before she knew what was happening toys were flying all over the place. A large toy block slammed in to her forehead causing her to stumble. Grumbling in a low voice she went around trying to round the kids up.

"Ha ha you can't catch us!" Akio cried as he ran by her. Dakota reached out and easily grabbed him. "Nooooo!"

"Calm down Akio." She said as she hurried to stop Eiko from jumping off the big bookshelf in the corner. The kids screamed and laughed happily as they ran around causing mayhem and dodging Dakota.

Half an hour latter Dakota stood in front of the couch on which the children now sat. "Alright now that's all of you." She said mentally counting them. "Wait….one, two, three, four, five……oh man whose missing?!" Hearing giggling coming from behind her she turned and saw Izumi standing in the door way of the kitchen.

The little girl was covered in food and seemed to be having a blast as she threw cereal in to the air. "Izumi stop throwing that cereal!" She said as she hurried to grab thee girl. Squealing Izumi took off running. Dakota chased her through the house before cornering her in the bathroom.

"Now Izumi just let me get you cleaned up then we'll go back to the living room with the others."

"No!" Dakota frowned and grabbed the girl who struggled to get away but couldn't. It took only a few seconds to get her cleaned up because Dakota used the Cleaning jutsu she had created. Once she was done she headed back to the living room where the others were still sitting. Thankfully.

"Now sit here and I'll clean up this mess you guys made." They watched her silently as she began a set of hand seals. "Cleaning no jutsu!" Within seconds the place was spotless once more.

"Wow…." All except Kazuki said in wonder.

"OK now you guys can play here in the living room but you better not make a mess." They climbed off the couch and continued playing as they had earlier. All was quiet for a while. Yukio, Akio, and Kazuki even fell asleep which was fine by Dakota.

Eiko, Arisa, and Izumi sat playing next to each other. Unknown to Dakota they were plotting what to do next. Sitting on the couch Dakota sighed and closed her eyes. Man why did she have to get stuck baby sitting six kids at once?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Naruto was exhausted from a long day. First he had to go to class at the academy then he went and practiced what he had learned over the years. Now all he wanted to do was go to sleep. Unlocking his apartment door he stepped in and shut the door behind him. Slipping his shoes off he moved farther in to the apartment.

Suddenly he sensed something. He wasn't alone. There was someone else there. In a flash he pulled out a kunai and slowly crept towards his bedroom where he sensed the person at. Pausing to the side of the door he listened for the sound of any movement coming from inside. There was none. Cautiously Naruto stuck his head in to the room and looked around. Relief flooded him when he saw who it was.

There laying on his bed sound asleep was none other than Dakota. Putting his kunai away Naruto moved farther in to the room. He wondered why she was there. It wasn't that he minded she was in his apartment it was just that when she comes over she usually doesn't go to sleep. Not wanting to disturb her he moved around as quietly as he could gathering up clean clothes.

After he took a quick shower Naruto went back in to the room. He was only wearing a pair of shorts that he used as pajamas and was rubbing his hair with a towel. Looking to the bed he saw she was still asleep. Tossing the towel in to the laundry basket inside his closet he moved to the bed and looked down at her.

He hadn't seen her asleep since before they moved away. It was nice to see her laying there sleeping peacefully. Since Dakota was asleep he decided that he would get a closer look at her. She had changed a lot over the years. Without even realizing it Naruto reached out and gently traced her face. When he finally realized what he was doing he quickly pulled away.

'What the heck am I doing?!' He thought as he shook his head trying to clear away the fuzziness that had surrounded it. At that precise moment his stomach growled loudly. This helped to clear his mind. Turning he quickly left the room. Even though he was exhausted and all he wanted to do was sleep he knew he would never be able to when he was that hungry.

In the kitchen he pulled out some food that Tara had made for him and slipped it in to the microwave. When it finished warming up Naruto happily ate it. He loved Tara's cooking and had missed it a lot over the last nine years. Once done he tossed the dishes in the sink and collapsed on to the couch in the living room.

Naruto and Dakota weren't little anymore so it wouldn't be right for them to share a bed. He was well aware of that. The couch wasn't very comfortable but he was to tiered to care. Within minutes he was sound asleep.

Several hours latter he woke up to find the room was pitch dark. Luckily he knew where everything was so he was able to get across the room where the light switch was without crashing in to anything. Turning the light on he looked around and saw it was exactly how it had been when he had fallen asleep.

Wondering if Dakota was still there Naruto went down the hall to his room. With the aid of the hall light he was able to see she was still laying sound asleep on the bed. She must have been really tiered if she was still asleep. Worried that something might be wrong he decided to wake her up. Turning on the bedroom light he went in.

"Hey Kota-Chan." He said as he gently shook her shoulder. Groaning Dakota rolled over on to her stomach and pulled his pillow over her head. "Come on Dakota wake up."

"Just a little longer." Came the muffled reply from under the pillow. Rolling his eyes Naruto pulled the pillow away from Dakota causing her to squeal from the sudden light.

Laughing he asked "Oh man Dakota was that a squeal?"

Slowly she opened her eyes and looked at him. "Tell anyone and I'll beat you up."

"Right." He said smirking. "Now…why are you sleeping in my bed?"

Rolling on to her side Dakota said "I had a really tiring mission today."

"Oh? What was it?"

"Babysitting."

"Again?"

"Yeah and it was the worst babysitting mission ever."

"Was the kid a brat?"

"Kid? Ha! Try six kids…….all of whom were major brats."

"Yow six kids at once? No wonder you're tired."

"Mmmm…."

He looked her over once more. She still looked tiered. Then he noticed something he hadn't seen before. "What's that on your forehead?"

"Huh?" She reached up and felt her forehead. Wincing slightly Dakota said "Oh that. One of the kids threw a toy at me."

"Ow…..did they hurt you anywhere else?"

"Nah they just caught me off guard."

"Well go on and go back to sleep. I'll call Mom and tell her where you're at so she wont worry."

"Mmmm…" Chuckling Naruto left the room to make the phone call.


	10. A NOTE FOR MY READERS

**Hey everyone I just wanted to let you know that I went back through the chappies of this story and corrected all of the mistakes. **

**I had no idea there were so many. I'm sorry about that. **

**There might be a few I missed but please bear with me. **

**Oh and I also changed the lay out so I hope it's easier to read now. **

**Take care!!!**


	11. Morning after the mission

_**Authoress Note:**_ Hey everyone! This would have been up over a week ago but the site wouldn't let me upload it. Now for the reviews! _Haan:_ Thanks for giving me the name of the ramen stand. Now all I have to do is go back and put it in.Sorry about the missed words. My mind always moves fater than my hands can type so I sometimes don't catch all of my mistakes. DF: Cookeis???? I want one!!!!!! (Cough) er sorry lol. I have a couple more chappies for this story typed up already so you guys wont have to wait long for more (Hopefully). Enjoy and R and R please!!!!!!

* * *

The next morning I awoke to find Dakota sitting across from me in a chair. Apparently she'd been watching me sleep. "Morning." I said as I sat up and stretched. 

"Morning. How'd you sleep?"

"Pretty good actually. You?"

"Same." We sat in silence for a few minutes.

"Something wrong?" I asked worried that something may be bothering her.

"Huh? Oh um….no. I was just wondering about something."

"About what?"

"What we'd be like if I'd never moved away."

"Well…..we'd probably be just like we are now."

"Except that you wouldn't have gone through all the pain you went through. I'm sorry Naruto."

"For what? It wasn't your fault."

"Still I should have been here to help."

Frowning slightly I said "I can't keep depending on you to fight my battles for me. Don't get me wrong Dakota, I appreciate everything you've done for me."

"Oh Naruto I know that. I know I can't always fight your battles for you even though I want to. If I did it would hamper your growing up and independence and that's the very last thing I want to do. My greatest wish for you Naruto is for you to grow up strong, independent, and to be happy." Then winking she said "As well as find a girl and start a family." This had the desired effect of causing me to blush.

"Dakota!" I cried face flushed bright red.

"What? It's only natural."

"Yeah for normal people." Suddenly Dakota was in front me holding tightly on to my bare shoulders.

"Naruto don't you dare talk like that! If anybody disserves to fall in love and have a family it would be you."

Before I could say anything the door to my apartment opened to reveal Iruka-sensei. He stood there in the door way surprised. I could easily guess what was going through his mind. Here I was sitting on the couch shirtless with Dakota holding my bare shoulders and her face about a foot away from mine. Not to mention we were both disheveled from sleeping (In separate rooms remember?) "Oh hey Iruka-sensei!" I said smiling at him.

Straightening up Dakota said "Morning Iruka."

"Uh morning. What's going on?"

"I crashed here last night. A mission wiped me out and his place was closer." Dakota said ruffling her hair.

"Ah I see." Iruka said smiling.

"Well I gotta get going now. See you guys latter!" Dakota said before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

"Naruto."

"Yes Iruka-sensei?"

We need to talk."

"About what?"

"Eh…..get cleaned up first." He said looking a little uncomfortable.

"Alright." Getting up I headed for the bathroom to get a quick shower. When I came back half an hour latter I found Iruka-sensei sitting at the kitchen table. "OK so what's up?" I asked sitting across from him.

"Well…what were you and Dakota talking about when I came in?" Blushing I mumbled something. "What was that?"

Sighing I said "She was saying that I disserved to fall in love and have a family."

"Oh?"

"Yeah…" I said not looking at him.

"Well what do you think?"

I dunno…."

Do you think it's possible?"

"How? There's no one in this village who likes me normally let alone in that way."

"Mmm…..I wouldn't be so sure about that."

"Huh?"

"Nothing, nothing." OK now I was confused. What did he mean by that? Sometimes Iruka-sensei can be really confusing. "Now there's one other thing I wanted to talk to you about."

"Yeah?"

Shifting uncomfortably Iruka blushed. "Well er….um….what do you….know about….er….sex."

'Oh no! Not the sex talk!' I thought frantically.

----------

**Change POV (Dakota)**

Once home I took a shower and got something to eat. "Feel better this morning?" My mom asked smiling at me.

"Yeah. That mission drained me completely."

"Well it's good practice for when you become a Jounin."

"What? Am I going to baby sit when I'm a Jounin?"

Laughing my mom said "No no I mean building your stamina and learning to keep going even when you feel you can't. Not to mention it teaches you patience which is a very important skill for a Jounin."

"Yeah I know mom."

"Good. Now you got another scroll about an hour ago."

"Yay." I said unenthusiastically as I took the scroll from her. Opening it I read the contents and my eyes widened in surprise. Seeing my look my mom asked if I was OK. "Y-yeah….it's a mission for outside the village."

"Really?" She asked excitedly. I hadn't been on a mission like that since we moved back here to Konoha.

"Yeah I leave in the morning."

"Well go on and pack then!"

"Mom it's not even noon yet. I still have plenty of time."

"Oh well I guess so."

Knowing I had to pick up a few supplies for the mission I headed out for the shopping district of Konoha. After I bought what I needed I ran in to Naruto and Iruka. "Hey guys!" I said smiling. Naruto's face flushed and he looked away from me. Quirking an eye brow I looked at Iruka.

Shrugging he asked "Doing a little shopping?"

"Yup! I've got a mission."

"Another?"

"Mhm this time I'm leaving the village."

"Well that's great Dakota! Good luck."

"Thanks Iruka." Turning to Naruto I asked if he wanted to come and hang out at my house.

"Eh…no…I…uh…got something to do." He said before running off. I looked to Iruka confused but he only smiled.


	12. A new team

_**Authoress Note:**_ Hey everyone sorry it took so long to update. I have a paper to write for my english class and it sucks up a lot of time (I'm actually supposed to be working on it now but I wanted to post this first). Originally chappies 11 - 13 were one giant chappie over 4 thousand words long. I decided to break it up to make it a little easier on me. So that means the next chappie is typed but I'm gonna wait a few more days to post it. Also to me it seems like this chappie moves a little to fast. Please let me know what you think. Now for the reviews! _Kalevra:_ I know Iruka always has a habit of showing up like that lol. Thanks for the info. I knew Ayame but I never put her in and I kept forgetting what Naruto called the old man. _DF:_ Yes it's the dreaded sex talk!!!!!! Poor Naruto lol. Well everyones gotta learn about it sooner or latter right? It was just his time in that chappie lol. Thanks for the cookies!! (Shoves a cookie in her mouth) Der really good:). _Konoka:_ Thanks for pointing that out. I gotta go fix it now...I'm glad you have an easier time reading my stuff now. Sorry it took so long to fix it. Well that's all for now. Oh I almost forgot! There are three new OC's showing up in this chappie. I'll give ya some info on them bellow. Well take care everyone! Enjoy and R and R please!!!

**OC Profiles:**

---Ruko - sensei (Male)

27 years old

Sandy blond hair

Green eyes

---Zeek (Male)

Same age as Dakota

Black hair

Black eyes

---Cole (Male)

Same age as Dakota

Black hair

Gray eyes

* * *

The next morning I arrived at the main gates of Konoha at eight fifty five. I still had five minutes till the meeting time. I was surprised to see a man and two guys my age already there with backpacks. 

"Are you Dakota Kano?" The man asked.

"Yes sir."

"Good you're here on time. My name's Ruko and these are my students Zeek and Cole."

"Hey. It's nice to meet you."

"So you don't have a team?" Cole asked.

"Mmm….not in this village."

"Well you're part of our team now." Ruko said smiling kindly at me.

Then sensing someone familiar behind me I turned and saw it was Naruto. Smiling I said "Hey Naru-kun!"

His face flushed lightly as he said "Eh I came to wish you luck."

"Thanks Naruto. But shouldn't you be in class? Iruka will go nuts if he finds out you skipped out again."

"Iruka-sensei said it was OK as long as I came straight to class afterwards."

"Alright then I'll see you in a couple of days." I said giving him a quick hug. "Oh and drop in and see mom sometime. The others are still out on missions."

"Alright." He said returning the hug.

"Dakota time to go." Ruko said.

"OK. By Naruto!"

"By." Naruto stayed there and watched us walk down the path until we were out of sight before turning and heading towards the academy.

----------

"So Dakota how much experience do you have?" Cole asked.

"Probably the same amount as you."

"I doubt it." He murmured.

I shot him a dirty look but before I could say anything Ruko spoke up. "Alright you two enough of that. If Dakota didn't have much experience the Hokage would have told me and he did no such thing."

"Yeah Cole. Besides we finally got a really pretty girl on our team." Zeek said smiling. My face flushed lightly and I looked away.

"Don't go there Zeek she's already got a boyfriend." Cole said shaking his head.

"What? I don't have a boyfriend." I said frowning.

"Coulda fooled me." Cole said.

OK what was he talking about? It took a few seconds for it to click and when it did I couldn't believe it. "Do you mean Naruto?"

"Yeah."

Shaking my head I said "Oh no! Naruto's not my boyfriend." Cole gave me a non believing look. "Seriously. We're just friends."

"OK OK let's just drop it." Zeek said hoping to avoid a fight.

The rest of the day passed relatively quietly. Seeing as how I didn't know these guys there really was nothing to talk about. After we set up camp for the night the debate over who would cook diner began. "Alright alright I'll cook!" Ruko exclaimed after nearly half an hour of arguing. Not even a second latter two cries of horror filled the air.

"NOOOOO!!!!!" Zeek and Cole cried.

"I'd rather eat dirt!" Cole exclaimed.

All the while I had been sitting there quietly watching. "Um I can cook." All three of them looked at me as if I'd appeared out of thin air.

"You can cook?" Zeek asked.

"Uh yeah."

"Oh thank God we're saved!" He cried. Ruko promptly whacked him over the head. And so I prepared dinner with them watching me closely. I'm not sure why though.

"Ah……you're a better cook than my mom." Zeek said patting his stomach a while latter. I just smiled in return.

"OK you three get some sleep. I'll take first watch." Ruko said jumping in to a nearby tree.

Climbing in to my sleeping bag I looked up at the sky. It was a clear night and the stars were shinning brightly. I watched them until I fell asleep. Several hours latter I was woken up by Cole.

"Your watch ends at three." He said before climbing in to his sleeping bag.

Ugh I hate having to get up to keep watch. I preferred to have first watch that was I could sleep through the night. Oh well there was nothing I could do about it. 'Let's get this over with.' I thought as I settled down on a tree branch. Then with only half an hour of my watch left I felt a familiar presence. "Hey Jacy what are you doing here?"

"Just wanted to drop in." The white two tailed fox said as he appeared on the branch I was sitting on.

"Oh?"

"Mhm…..and I'm worried." Frowning I asked about what. "I'm not sure but something's off." He said as his tails swayed back and forth in a slight breeze.

"You sure you don't know?" Glancing at my team I asked "It's not my team is it?"

"No it's not them."

"I hope it's nothing serous."

"Don't worry Dakota I wont let anything happen to you."

"I know Jacy but I hope my team will be OK to."

"I'll stick around for a while to keep an eye on things."

Reaching out I stroked his snow white fur and said "Thanks Jacy."

Nuzzling my hand he said "We are family and the Fox family always takes care of its own. No matter what." Jacy was very special to me. He wasn't just a summons he was also my brother.

Hearing movement below us I looked and saw Zeek looking up at me. Guess my time was up. "Time to go back to sleep." I told Jacy before jumping down from the tree. "Sorry Zeek guess I lost track of time."

"Nah you still have ten minutes. I woke up because I heard voices. Who were you talking to?"

Looking up in to the tree I saw Jacy was no longer there. I guess he hadn't seen him after all. "Oh I was just talking to myself."

Frowning slightly he said "OK if you say so. Go ahead and get some sleep. I'll take over now."

"OK thanks Zeek."

"No problem."


	13. Ambush

_**Authoress Note:**_ Hey everyone! Sorry the last chappie was so short. Did you guys like the new OC's? Now for the reviews! _DF:_ Yeah sorry the last chappie was just talking but that was the only way I could break the story up in to chappies. So you thought the talk about Dakota's BF was interesting? In what way may I ask? lol and that doesn't make you a perv. Believe me from what I read (In your letters, reviews and stories) you are no where near being a perv. On a scale of 1 to 10 you'd barely be a 1. Now I'm a 10 or higher (depending on my mood and if my friends are around lol). _Konoka:_ Oh man some people can be VERY bad cooks! Believe me...though I'm not one lol. I love to cook. (Sweat drop) Sorry I keep messing that one word up...I never seem to notice it. Damn 'T'!!!! (Cough) er...anyways thanks for the reviews guys! I hope you like this chappie and as I've said before in my other stories I'm sorry the fight scenes are so bad. I just can't write them (Cries) Oh well...enjoy and R and R please!!!!!

* * *

Through out the day I was able to sense Jacy's presence though he never showed himself. As far as I could tell the rest of my team hadn't noticed him but I wasn't sure. "Ruko-sensei?" I asked after a while. 

"Yes?"

"If you don't mind my asking, how long have you been a sensei?"

"Eh…about two years now. These two bozos are my first batch of students."

"Who're you calling bozo?!" Cole and Zeek cried.

Ignoring them Ruko said "So far I'm glad I became a sensei."

"And I'm sure Zeek and Cole feel the same way." I said smiling at him.

Chuckling he said "I suppose so."

"What was your Jounin sensei like Dakota?" Zeek asked.

"Well the village I lived in was relatively small and there wasn't a large number of ninja. However there were still a few very skilled ones. My sensei was one of them. He was tuff but fair and made us always work as hard as we could no matter what. I kind of felt sorry for him though."

"Why?" Ruko asked.

"Since there were so few ninja the Jounin sensei's had to take on a greater number of students. I was originally on a team of eight but then two of my team mates had to drop out."

"Eight?" Ruko asked surprised.

"Mhm. My father, brother, and sister, who are Jounin to, taught me as well. I took what they taught me and what my Jounin sensei taught me and combined it."

"Well you've done a good job since you've made it this far." Zeek said grinning.

"Thanks Zeek. I'm very glad I was assigned to your team Ruko-sensei. You're all very nice."

"Ah yes we're nice as well as single." Zeek said as he casually draped one of his arms around my shoulders.

"And you're gonna stay that way Zeek." I said laughing.

"Agh shot down!" He exclaimed withdrawing his arm from around me. I was able to tell by looking at him he wasn't upset. Just playing around.

Then I saw something white out of the corner of my eye. Turning I saw it was Jacy. He was partially obscured by some trees and bushes. "Um Ruko-sensei can we stop for a minute?"

"Tiered already?" Cole asked.

"No I just need to pee if it's any of your business." Face flushing lightly he looked away.

"Alright but don't take to long. We're almost to our destination."

"Yes sensei." Moving to where I had last seen Jacy I made my way in to the trees. Once I was sure I was out of ear shot of the guys I called for Jacy. Within seconds he appeared. "What's the matter?"

"It's getting closer."

"Do you know what it is yet?"

"No not yet."

This wasn't good. Jacy wasn't one to worry. Something defiantly wasn't right. "What ever it is I'm sure it'll make its presence know soon."

"Most likely. You're going to have to be extra vigilant."

"I know. Now I better get back." He nodded and disappeared in to the trees. "I'm back." I said as I stepped back out on to the path where my team was waiting.

"Something wrong Dakota?" Ruko asked noticing that I had a slight look of worry on my face.

"No Ruko-sensei." I lied. However on the inside I was having a mental battle. Should I tell him? Would he believe me? We started down the path once more all the while my mental battle raged on. When we stopped for lunch a while latter I slipped off to talk to Jacy. I didn't even have to voice my question when I found him.

"You're wondering if you should tell Ruko." He said as he came to stand in front of me. I nodded. "Do you think you can trust him?"

"Yes I'm sure of that."

"Well then tell him." And so I did. Once I got back I took Ruko off to the side to talk with him. Though I didn't mention Jacy.

"So you sensed it as well?" He asked.

"Huh?"

"For some time now I've sensed something was wrong but I haven't been able to tell what."

"Really?" I asked surprised.

"Yes Dakota. The only thing we can do for now is keep going and to pay attention."

----------

"Dakota move!" Turning I saw a huge ball of fire flying towards me. Cursing I jumped out of the way. I barely avoided being hit.

It was the middle of the night and we have been ambushed. Out of no where an unknown number of ninja had attacked us. Unfortunately we were caught off guard and now the enemy had a slight advantage. Cursing once more I pulled out some kunai and threw them at the man who had shot the fire ball at me. Not surprisingly he dodged them.

Ruko was some where off in the trees, Cole was directly above me fighting in the trees as well, and Zeek was across the clearing on the ground like me. He seemed to be doing OK. I wasn't sure about the others though. Going through a set of seals I called out "Star Shower no Jutsu!" Dozens of small balls of chakra appeared (About the size of a pea).

"What you gonna do with that girlie? Put on a light show?" The man asked smirking.

Smirking myself I said "Sure and it wont be one you forget anytime soon." With a couple small hand movements the little balls of chakra shot towards the man.

"Nice try." He said jumping out of the way.

"Oh it's not over yet." With another small hand movement the attack changed direction and went straight towards the man.

"The hell?" He said jumping out of the way again but it was no use. The attack just followed where ever he went. Soon he began to slow down and a couple of the chakra balls made contact. Screaming in pain he clutched his arm where they had hit.

"They may be small but they pack a powerful punch." I said as I sent the rest of them at him. He watched with wide eyes as it came towards him. Seconds latter his cry echoed through the clearing. Not even before he hit the ground another enemy was attacking.

It seemed to go on for hours. For each enemy that went down two appeared in its place. By this point my chakra was running low but they just kept coming. "Oh come on you gotta be kidding me!" I cried in frustration. In that split second I was hit by some sort of chakra attack. Crying out I flew through the air and slammed in to the ground.

'Shiiiiiiiiit……..' Was the first thought that entered my mind. My body was screaming in pain. What the heck was that attack?! I soon found out that moving only made it worse.

"Aw look she's hurt." A man said as he came to stand next to me. Three others then joined him.

"Don't you dare lay a hand on her!" A voice suddenly roared and the men were sent flying. It was Jacy. "Hang on Dakota you'll be OK." I only groaned in response. Placing one of his tails on my stomach he began to glow and the glow soon enveloped me as well.

Within seconds the pain began to recede. Jacy had healed me only once before but I hadn't been injured this badly. After that first time he had explained the process to me so I knew I couldn't let him heal me completely. "Jacy….s-stop." I said after a minute or two.

"What? Your only half healed!"

"I don't care so stop."

"No you need to be healed."

Reaching out I pushed him away from me and sat up. My head swam a little but after a few seconds it stopped. "I said stop."

"Dakota you-"

"No. It'll take to much of your chakra to heal me completely."

"But-"

"I'll be fine. Besides there's no way I'm gonna die now…..I mean I still haven't had my first kiss yet and there's no way I'm gonna die with out getting my first kiss."

"What?!"

Laughing I said "Relax Jacy I'm just kidding."

"Ha ha." He said sarcastically.

"Mmmm…..we'll talk about this latter." I said as I slowly climbed to my feet. "After all we still have a fight to finish."

"You bet we will." Jacy said preparing himself to fight. The rest of the battle was like a blur to me. All that I really remember is that Jacy was always by my side. Once it was finally over I slumped to the ground. Jacy moved so he was laying behind me and I leaned back against him.

Hearing the sound of footsteps approaching we both tensed up. Seconds latter the rest of my team walked in to sight. Relaxing once more I looked them over. Ruko looked pretty messed up but he'd make it and Cole had a couple of wounds that were bleeding pretty badly. They were both supporting Zeek between them and he didn't look to good. He was very pale but couscous. I guess that was sort of good.

"Dakota are you alright?" Ruko asked as he and Cole carefully laid Zeek down on his stomach. It was then that I saw the large burn that covered his back.

"Y-yeah."

"Good." He said as he sat down next to his injured student.

Moving to where Zeek laid I looked at his back. The burn looked pretty bad. "Zeek you OK?"

"Never better." He said grinning but it was quickly replaced by a look of pain.

"H-hang on Zeek! Jacy come heal him!!!"

"No Dakota. If I heal anyone it's going to be you."

"Jacy come heal him!"

"I can't Dakota."

"Why?!"

"Father forbids it. We can heal only those who are signed to the contract."

"Screw the contract and come heal him!" I yelled giving him a fierce look.

Jacy was surprised. Never before had I spoken to him or looked at him like that. "Alright. Only because you asked me to." Moving towards us he reached out a tail towards Zeek but he moved.

"It's OK Zeek he's gonna heal you. All you have to do is stay still."

"OK." He said moving back to where he had been. I watched as Jacy placed his tail on Zeek's shoulder. Within seconds the burn began to shrink.

When it was about the size of a grapefruit I noticed Jacy's chakra was wavering. Cursing softly I said "Alright Jacy that's enough." With a grateful look he stopped. "I'm sorry Zeek but that's the best he can do."

"That's OK. It feels a lot better already. Thanks Jacy."

"Mmm…..don't count on me doing it again." Jacy said as he laid down.

"Thanks Jacy I owe you big time." I said as I moved over to him and lifted his head in to my lap.

"Don't be stupid Dakota. I told you before the Fox family takes care of its own. Besides I hate to see my little sister hurting."

"Keep talking like that and people will think you're going soft." He chuckled. "Go back and get some rest. We'll be alright now."

"Fine but I'll be back soon." He said before disappearing.

"You can summon?" Cole asked.

I'd forgotten he was there. Turning to look at him I said "Yeah." Cole had tried to get his wounds to stop bleeding but failed miserably. Moving over to him I took his first aid kit and pulled out some gauze.

"Hey!" He protested.

"Aw shut it Cole and let her help." Zeek said from his position on the ground.

"Whatever." Cole mumbled.

"Here hold this tight." I said placing some gauze on his shoulder wound. He held it and I placed another on the wound on his forehead.

"Why can't that summons heal me?" Cole asked.

"Because he isn't strong enough yet." Ruko said as he paused from bandaging his arm.

"He's still young, well for a summons at least, he needs a couple more tails before he can heal on a bigger scale." I explained as I bandaged Cole's head.

"Pathetic." Cole said rolling his eyes.

Frowning I pressed a little harder than necessary on his wound causing him to yelp. ""If he hadn't healed me he may have been able to completely heal Zeek."

"You don't look like he healed you." Zeek said.

"Because I only let him heal me partially then we had to continue fighting."

"Alright everyone we've got to get going. It's to dangerous to stick around here." Ruko said pulling himself to his feet.

"Cole if you get Zeek's bag I can help him." I said as I climbed to my feet and headed towards him.

"Yeah yeah." Cole said picking the bag up.

"Up we go Zeek." I said as I helped him up.

"Thanks Dakota." He said draping his arm over my shoulders.

---------

Late the next afternoon we finally reached our destination. It was a small village of civilians. Luckily we were only there to pick up a package. We spent the night there then headed back to Konoha the next day. Once there Ruko-sensei sent us to the hospital while he went to report to the Hokage.

"Man I'm glad to be back." Zeek said after he'd been treated and placed in a bed.

"Me to." I said as I stretched out on the bed I'd been told to lay in. Looking to the other occupied bed in the room I saw Cole was sound asleep. 'Thank goodness we all made it. I just wish we knew why those ninja's attacked us.' I thought. No one knew who they were or why they had attacked us. Ruko-sensei said he'd do all he could to find out. I believed him.


	14. Hospital

**_Authoress Note:_** Hey everyone I'm back! Sorry I've been gone so long. I really don't have an excuse so I wont put anything about it. This chapter is short and I don't know if it's any good. I wanted to get something up for you guys since It's been so long. Now for reviews! _**DF:**_ Actually I did get the idea for Jacy to heal from you :). I hope you don't mind that I sorta jacked your idea. Sorry about that I shoulda asked. **_Konoka:_** Eh was that a new person leavin a review with ya? There was you an _**Jase**_ an someone named _**Ross**_. Anyways I love foxes to! (Huggles a random fox) Also I am doing my VERY best to catch that one stupid little mistake I keep making! (Cries) I really am trying!!!!! (Sniffle). **_Nautikitti:_** Eh a new reviewer???? YAYAYAY!!!! (Cough) er sorry lol. Well I hope you like the story. **_Your buddy unknown:_** I'm sorry you feel this is getting boring. I can promise you though that Naruto will become more involved. I'm just working my way up to it so please don't give up on my story. Do you not like the new OC's or that I added them? Well that's all for now guys. Enjoy and R and R please!

* * *

Sighing I stretched out on my bed. My family had come by to visit and had left only a few minutes ago. As would be expected my mother had fussed over me and it drove me nuts. She means well but it can seriously get annoying. Anyways I had just closed my eyes and was considering taking a nap when I felt something land on my bed. Opening my eyes I let out a yelp.

"Ah sorry I didn't mean to scare you." Naruto said sheepishly. He had sat down on the bed next to her and leaned over to look into her face.

'Yikes talk about unexpected!' I thought trying to get my heart rate back to normal. "It's OK Naru-kun." I said smiling as I sat up.

"So how are you feeling? I wanted to come see you sooner but Iruka-sensei wouldn't let me cut class." He said scowling.

"I'm feeling pretty good. Sore but good."

"Good!" He exclaimed as he suddenly pulled me in to a hug. "When I heard you were in the hospital I got worried."

A warm feeling suddenly spread through me when he hugged me like that. I didn't know what it was and pushed it to the back of my mind for now. "Well as you can see there was nothing to be worried about."

"I'm glad. I don't know what I'd of done if you were seriously hurt." Naruto said sitting so his back rested against the wall my bed was on. "Anyways what happened?"

"We were ambushed. They came out of no where and stated attacking us. We fought back the best we could. It took forever but we fought them off. Jacy came to help me out and I'm glad he did. Then he helped to heal me a little and Zeek as well."

"Wow you guys were lucky. Do you know who attacked you?"

"No but Ruko-sensei said he would find out."

"I wonder why they attacked you." Naruto murmured.

"Who knows. Anyways how have you been?" I asked wanting to change the subject.

"Hm? Oh fine. I went to class then I'd practice. I stopped by and saw mom a couple of times. She was really happy that I did. I think she was lonely with everyone gone."

"Yeah she probably was. There really isn't much for her to do when we aren't around. Sometimes I wonder if she'd be happier if she went back to being an active ninja."

Laughing Naruto said "I can just imagine that. I'd feel sorry for any one who crossed her."

I laughed as well. He was right. Mom had been a tuff Kunoichi but then she retired when she became pregnant with the twins. If she went back to being an active nin she'd be even tougher. Any enemy nin she came across would be very sorry. "You're right Naru-kun."

"Dakota?" He asked suddenly looking a little….nervous?

"Hm?" I asked sleepily trying to stifle a yawn.

"Ah nothing, never mind. I should go now so you can get some sleep." He said climbing off the bed.

"You don't have to." I protested.

"I know that but I have a few things I need to take care of."

"Alright then." I said pulling him back down for a quick hug.

"Get some rest Kota-chan." He said before leaving the room.

Laying back down I frowned. There was deffinatly something he had wanted to say. I wonder what it was?

"Man about time he left." Cole grumbled suddenly.

Shooting him a dirty look I said "Shut it Cole. Naruto can come to see me even if you don't like it."

Scowling he said "I can't wait until they let me out of this place."

Rolling on to my side I said "Well that makes two of us."

"Actually three." Zeek suddenly said.

Smiling I looked across the room at the bed he was laying in. His burn had begun to heal nicely. The doctors said it would take a while to heal fully and that he would have a good sized scar. I was glad that he was going to be OK. Zeek was a really nice guy and didn't deserve to be hurt like that. As for Cole…….well I guess in a way he is a nice guy. Though for the most part he was a pain in the ass.

Closing my eyes I smiled as I thought of leaving the stupid hospital. I hated being in hospitals. It was so annoying to have complete strangers fussing over me and to have to stay in bed. I was an active person. Staying in bed for longer than the necessary time for sleep drove me crazy. Once I was out of here I would go and practice. I had to or else I would go nuts!


	15. Sucess!

**_Authoress Note:_** Ok I know the last chappie was crud and I'm sorry about that. Hopefully this chappie makes up for that. It's a lot better and a lot longer than the last one. In fact it's 1,836 words :). Enjoy and R amd R please!!!!!

* * *

Sighing I laid my head down on my desk. Man Iruka-sensei's lectures are really boring. No wonder Shikamaru sleeps through all of the lessons. Well….that's not quite right. Shikamaru is just a really lazy guy. Man how is it that he can be so smart yet not do any work? He's really lucky about that. I've had to work so hard just to make it this far and I still have a long ways ahead of me. Oh well at least I'm able to be a ninja. The council had tried to prevent it but the third pretty much told them to shut up and leave me alone. I was so grateful for that. 

"Naruto!"

Looking up I saw a very angry looking Iruka-sensei. Oh boy. "Yeah Iruka-sensei?"

"Get down here and do your Henge."

"Alright." Sighing I got up and headed for the front of the class. As I went I could hear the others whispering. Damn them. I'm so tiered of this. Oh well I guess it's my fault. I let them all believe that I was an idiot.

"Go on Naruto." Iruka said once Naruto reached the front. 'Hopefully he'll do it right this time.' He thought.

Frowning I brought my hands up to begin the seals. I went through them making sure to mess them up but then before I finished I suddenly thought of something.

An image of Dakota entered my mind as she said '_Naruto you don't have to act like an idiot to get attention. That's not the kind of attention you want. Work hard and show everyone you're not an idiot and you'll get the kind of attention you really want. Even if it's only from a few people.' _

She was right. I hated the attention I got for acting like an idiot. It never made me feel good. 'Well….here goes nothing.' I thought. Redoing the seals I called out "Henge no Jutsu!"

When the smoke cleared everyone stared in shock. There standing in front of them was a perfect replica of the third Hokage.

'Thank goodness.' Iruka thought in relief. Smiling he said "That's perfect Naruto! Great job."

Releasing the Henge I couldn't help but smile. "Really Iruka-sensei?"

"Yes. You must have been practicing really hard." Iruka said proudly. 'Not to mention getting some sense in to that head of yours thanks to Dakota.'

Wow this was great! Iruka-sensei complemented me on my Henge. He had never done that before.

"Go on and have a seat."

"Okay!" I said smiling. Turning I saw all of my classmates staring at me. Whatever I didn't care anymore. Once in my seat I made sure to pay attention to what Iruka-sensei was saying. Admittedly it was hard and I missed a few things but at least I tried.

Iruka couldn't help but be happy. For the first time ever Naruto did something right in class. Hopefully he'd keep doing it. He had a feeling that as long as Dakota was around he would. It was amazing how much he had changed since the Kano family had moved back. He was happy and more open. Well at least to the Kano's and Iruka himself.

-------------

The bell signaling the end of the day had just rung when suddenly the door to the classroom flew open. No one had even had a chance to stand up. Surprised they all looked to the door and saw Dakota. She had a big smile on her face and her eyes were sparkling.

"Dakota?" I asked confused. Without a word she ran up to me and grabbed me in a bear hug. "Gah Dakota! Wh-what are you doing?" I asked confused and a little embarrassed.

"I knew you could do it!" She exclaimed hugging me even tighter.

Confused I looked to Iruka. He had a smile on his face. By the looks of it he had something to do with this. Trying to pull free I said "D-Dakota what are you talking about?"

"Oh! Iruka stopped by during lunch and he told me you did the Henge right." She said pulling me back in to the hug.

"Gah you're choking me!" I gasped.

"Ooops!" Loosening her grip she said "When I heard I knew I had to come see you."

"Ah….wait a second. Aren't you still supposed to be in the hospital?"

"Eh the hospital?"

"Yeah."

"I snuck out."

"What?! Dakota you shouldn't of done that. You're supposed to stay there for another couple of days!" I exclaimed. She wasn't recovered enough to leave yet. What if something happened to her?

"Ah you worry to much."

Looking to Iruka I saw he was frowning.

"Dakota I told you to wait until they released you from the hospital." Iruka said in a disapproving voice.

Standing up she shot him a look. "You expected me to stay in a freakin bed and not do anything when Naruto was successful?"

"Yes."

"Iruka you know me better than that! Besides I'm fine." She said waving her hand in the air.

Frowning I reached out and poked her back. She had the exact reaction I knew she would.

"Gah!" Dropping to her knees she squeezed her eyes closed in pain.

"Uh huh you're fine." Iruka said shaking his head.

"Naruto that was low!" She cried looking at me angrily.

"Huh? No it wasn't! You said you were fine. I proved you wrong." I said.

Scowling she said "You're mean."

"Yeah and you're still hurt."

"Alright you two enough." Iruka said sighing.

Ignoring him Dakota said "You know damn well I'd come no matter what. I could be bleeding to death and I'd still come."

Sighing I shook my head. Dakota could be so stubborn some times. I opened my mouth to speak but someone spoke before I could.

"Dakota Kano."

"Uh oh." Looking up Dakota's face paled.

Looking I saw Raven (Her Dad) standing in the door way. "Uh oh is right." She was gonna get it now. Raven looked positively pissed.

Smiling she said "Hello!"

Shooting her a glare Raven said "What do you think you're doing?"

"Ah…..congratulating Naruto on a successful Henge?"

Raven looked to me and I shrank away.

His anger disappeared when he looked at me. "Congratulations Naruto. We knew you could do it."

"Uh thanks." I said nervously.

Looking back to Dakota Ravens anger returned. "You left the hospital."

"I know but-"

"You were seriously hurt on your mission. You've only been in the hospital for a little over a day."

"I-"

"Dakota."

"Aw come on Dad!" She exclaimed finally standing up. She tried to hide her wince of pain but everyone saw it. "I'm fine."

"The doctor said one week Dakota. You will stay in the hospital for one week. No matter what."

"No way! I'm not staying for a week. I hate the hospital." She said scowling.

"Would you rather be at home where your mother will most likely tie you down on your bed so you can't get away?"

"Ack no way! She kept Kumori tied up for three days."

"I thought so."

"Ah Mom tied to Kumori to his bed?" I asked surprised.

"Yeah and he only had a cold." She said shuddering.

"That sounds about right." Iruka said causing everyone to look at him. "Tara's always been fond of er 'tough love'."

Turning to look back at his daughter Raven was surprised to see she was gone. "Dakota!" He called out angrily.

I looked around but couldn't find her. "Where'd she go?"

"She's still here somewhere." Raven muttered looking around the room.

"Ah uh um….."

Looking to see who had spoken I was surprised to see it was Hinata. "What is it Hinata-chan?" I asked.

"Ah um well she's over there." Hinata said pointing towards the window.

Looking in the direction I saw a puppy that looked a lot like Akamaru. Frowning I looked to Kiba and saw Akamaru was on his head. 'Henge.' I thought. I looked back in time to see a kunai flying at the puppy.

There were several gasps as everyone watched the deadly weapon fly closer and closer. The kunai imbedded itself in the wall right above the puppy's head. Needless to say the pup looked shocked.

"And where do you think you're going?" Raven asked.

Suddenly the pup was engulfed in a puff of smoke. When it cleared it showed Dakota with her back against the wall. "Eh back to the hospital?"

"That's right!" Raven said smirking.

"Holly cow he threw it!" A voice cried.

"If she'd of moved even a little she'd be dead!" Said another.

Well they were sort of right. Raven would never intentionally harm Dakota. He knew where to aim and thus knew she'd be fine.

"So…..can we erm not tell mom about this?" Dakota asked as her father walked up to her.

"Nope. She's gonna hear all about it." Raven said picking her up.

"NOOOO!!!!! She'll kill me!" Dakota cried in horror.

"Well you should of thought of that before sneaking out of the hospital."

"I'll do anything just don't tell her." She begged.

"No can do."

"Ah Dad?" I said suddenly.

Surprised Raven turned and looked to Naruto. He'd only ever called him dad a couple of times and that was before they moved. "Yes Naruto?"

"Please don't tell Mom. Dakota only snuck out because of me." I said getting up and walking over to him.

Raven looked the boy over. He'd always felt bad for him and had even considered him a son. "Oh alright."

"Really?" I asked surprised.

"Yes but on one condition."

"What is it?"

"No more screwing around Naruto. Show your true abilities."

That was unexpected. "Ah….OK." I said nervously.

"Good! Now I gotta get her back before your Mom finds out she's gone." Raven said ruffling his hair.

Looking over her fathers shoulder Dakota said "I owe you big time Naruto!"

"You bet you do." I said.

----------------------

Iruka had watched the exchange between Raven and Dakota nervously. He knew Raven wouldn't hurt Dakota but still…

When Naruto stepped in he'd been surprised. Then when he'd called Raven Dad he was even more surprised. Naruto had never called anyone Dad before.

"Ah….Naruto?"

Turning Naruto looked to who had spoken. It was Hinata. "Yes Hinata-chan?" I asked cocking my head to the side.

"Erm…what was that all about?" Seeing the blank look on his face she said "You called him Dad."

Feeling a light blush cover my face I said "Oh….ah well Dakota told you we were friends when we were little right?" She nodded in response. Shrugging I said "I spent a lot of time at her house. Her family is my family."

Hinata's face visibly brightened. "Really Naruto-kun? That wonderful!"

Feeling uncomfortable I said "Ah yeah…."

"What did he mean when he said 'No more screwing around Naruto. Show your true abilities.'" Sasuke demanded.

Aw shit. The last thing I wanted at the moment was to have to deal with Sasuke Uchiha. "Will you look at the time? I've gotta run!" And run I did.


	16. To forget

**_Authoress Note:_**Hey everyone I'm back. Sorry it's been so long. I was cleaning my room when I found this! Apparently I had written it a while ago but it got lost in my room and I forgot about it (Sweat drop) Eh heh sorry! Now for reviews! **_DF:_**lol I'm glad you liked that chappie. Hope you like this one to . **_Konoka:_**Thanks for the review everyone. Oh and I woulda snuck out of the hospital to. I don't like 'em. **_Zerodragon:_** Yup this story is still going...mind you it's going at a very slow pace though -.-". **_XxSilentLegenedxX:_**lol I'm glad you like my stories so much! I'm tryin my best to update them all but as you can see it's taking a while (Sigh). Well that's all! I'm not sure how this chappie is so I apologize if it's cruddy. Enjoy and R and R please!!

**_Oh one more thing! I can't remember what time of year it was that Naruto graduated from the Academy so I'm tweaking it a bit. It's gonna be after his birthday in my story. Sorry if you don't like it but that's how it's gonna be._**

* * *

Naruto was bored out of his skull. The Academy was closed for the week and he had nothing to do. It was only Monday and he was already going out of his mind. The Kano's were all busy. Raven, Kiyoshi, Kumori, and Dakota were all on missions and Tara was taking care of an elderly neighbor who was sick. There was no one really for him to hang out with.

He could go out and practice but he didn't feel like it. Plus this week wasn't exactly the best time for him to be spending time out side of his apartment. Not unless he wanted to have the crap beaten out of him.

So the only thing he could do was stay locked up in his apartment and stay as quiet as he could. It's been the same for him for the last nine years. Even before the Kano's moved away he didn't go out often during this particular week. In the end this was noting new to Naruto. Though admittedly he had thought the Kano's would be there for him. Oh well he couldn't expect them to drop everything because of him.

--

Stretching her arms over her head Dakota sighed when she felt her back pop. "Ah that's better!"

"That's gross." Cole said frowning at her.

"I've seen you do worse things." Zeek said with a smirk.

Dakota and her team were out on a mission. They had been sent to deliver a scroll to Suna and were now on their way back home. They had another day or so before they reached Konoha if they continued at this pace.

"Alright you guys quit lagging behind!" Ruko-sensei called from up ahead of them.

The three picked up their pace and were soon walking beside their sensei once more.

"Man I'm glad we'll be home in time for the festival." Zeek said with a bounce in his step.

"Festival?" Dakota asked with a small frown. She hadn't know there was a festival coming up.

"Yeah the Kyuubi festival. I thought you said you were from Konoha."

Dakota froze mid step as her eyes widened in shock. 'No….it couldn't be!'

"Dakota are you okay?" Ruko asked noticing she was no longer walking.

Mentally shaking herself she said "The Kyuubi festival? Are you sure?"

"Well yeah! Everyone's been preparing for it for the last month." Zeek said looking at her in disbelief. How could she have not noticed?

Ruko watched worried as his only female students face paled. "Dakota?"

"Shit!" She cried surprising them all. They had never really heard her cuss before. "Kami I'm such an idiot!" Biting her thumb she quickly went through a set of hand seals. When the smoke cleared it reveled Jacy.

"Hey Dakota!" Jacy said swiveling his ears.

"Jacy I need you to do something for me."

Seeing the look of urgency on her face he said "Sure what is it?"

"Track down Dad, Kiyoshi, and Kumori. Tell them to get back to Konoha ASAP. I'm gonna need all the help I can get."

"Why?"

"Kyuubi festival."

The fox twitched slightly before saying "Understood." He then disappeared.

"Dakota what's going on?"

"We need to get back to Konoha as fast as we can."

"Why?"

Letting out a growl she said "Because I'm an idiot who forgot about the damned Kyuubi festival." Her team just looked at her confused. "And how dangerous it can be."

Frowning Ruko couldn't help but feel he knew what she was meant. The problem though was he couldn't remember what. "Alright then lets go." They headed off at a faster pace and all the while Dakota was muttering and cursing under her breath.

--

Tuesday morning found Narutowalking down the street trying not to be noticed. However that was almost impossible. The only reason he had left the relative safety of his apartment was because he was hungry and he had no food. He'd been so busy that he hadn't had a chance to stock up on food for this particular week.

So far there's only been glaring and muttering from the people on the streets. Nothing new. Half way there everything took a turn for the worse. Out of no where he was suddenly pelted with rotten food. The rotten food was quickly accompanied by flying rocks.

Naruto tried to block and dodge everything but there was just to much. Fighting back was not an option. He had learned in the past that when he fought back it only made things worse. Then he tried to get away but he was surrounded. Bringing his arms up to protect his head he did the only thing he could do. Wait.

'Please make them stop soon.' He thought cringing as a large rock connected with the back of his head.

--

Dakota and her ream were now back in Konoha. "Come on guys we have to report to the Hokage." Ruko said turning in the direction of the Hokage's tower.

"Sorry sensei but I can't." Dakota said before turning and hurrying off.

"Dakota!"

Ignoring her sensei Dakota went off in search of Naruto. The problem though was where was he? It took a little while (to long in her opinion) but she managed to track him down. On a street she found a large group of people and it wasn't hard to figure out what was going on.

"Damn it!"

Hurrying to the group she jumped in front of Naruto just in time to block some kunai. It took a few seconds before the people noticed she was there and had stopped throwing things.

"Get out of the way kid!" A man cried.

Glaring at them Dakota said "If you don't back off now I'll make you all very sorry."

"If you don't move you're the one whose going to be in trouble." Another man said brandishing a pipe.

"I dare you to try something."

The man lunged towards her swinging the pipe. Dakota easily disarmed him and had him on his knees with his arm twisted behind his back.

"Ah let go!" He cried in pain.

"I warned you." Twisting his arm a little more she said "If you ever try to harm him again I will hunt you down and make you very sorry. Do you understand me?"

"Y-yes."

"Good." She let him go and he hurried away. Turning her glare to the rest of the crowd she said "Listen and listen well. You've had free reign over him for nine years but now it's different. I will warn you only once so make sure to tell everyone you know. The Kano's are back and we will not let any of you village idiots harm Naruto."

"K-kano?" A woman stammered in shock.

"Yes. I take it you remember us."

Swallowing hard enough to heard she said "Yes. The kano's made sure that any one who harmed him paid for it."

"Correct. Now get lost before I make you losers leave."

One by one they turned and hurried off. Those who remembered the Kano's whispering to those who didn't. Once they were gone Dakota turned to Naruto. The poor guy was hardly recognizable.

"Oh Naruto I'm so sorry." She said reaching up to wipe some of the rotten goop off of his face.

"It's okay." He murmured softly.

Scowling Dakota said "No it's not Naruto. They have no reason to treat you like this."

Naruto refused to look at her. He was to ashamed to. It was so pathetic that he couldn't even defend himself.

"They didn't hurt you did they?" Now she was scooping some goop out of his hair.

"No."

"Dakota."

Turning she saw Ruko standing behind her. He looked confused and worried. "I'm sorry sensei but I can't go to the tower right now."

Ruko turned his attention to the boy who was covered in rotten food. Was that Naruto Uzumaki the Kyuubi container? Kami the poor kid! "That's alright. Do you need some help?"

"No thanks sensei I got it." Turning back to Naruto Dakota said "Come on lets get you home and cleaned up."

--

'So humiliating.' Naruto though miserably. He was at Dakota's house taking a shower. Why did Dakota have to seem him like that? He shouldn't of left his apartment. He knew how dangerous it was.

"Oh well there's nothing I can do about it now." Naruto said as he turned the water off.

Once he was dressed Naruto wandered in to Dakota's room. Flopping down on the bed he closed his eyes. All he wanted was to go to sleep and not wake up for weeks.

"Feel better?"

"Yeah." He said opening his eyes and seeing Dakota walking in to the room.

"I'm glad."

Naruto closed his eyes once more and seconds later felt the bed shift. He let out a hiss as his cheek suddenly stung like crazy. Opening his eyes Naruto saw Dakota leaning over him with a cotton ball that most likely had some sort of disinfectant on it.

"Ow."

"Sorry but I need to clean them. Will all that rotten food you never know what kind of infection you can get."

"I know." He mumbled and laid still as she cleaned the various small cuts and scrapes.

"Naruto?"

"Hm?"

"I'm sorry. We forgot it was time for the festival."

"It's okay."

"No it's not. We should have known. Then you would have been safe here and not have had to go through that." Dakota said shaking her head.

"Dakota?"

"Yeah?"

"Can…can you go? I want to be alone."

"O-okay." She said sounding as if she didn't really want to leave him alone.

Once Dakota was gone Naruto moved in to a more comfortable position and closed his eyes.

'If they forgot about the festival does that mean they also forgot about my birthday?'


	17. Naruto's Birthday

**Authoress Note:** Hey everyone I'm back! Let's see...I last updated this on September 27, 2008? Holy Crap!*Cries*_** I'M SOOOOOOO SORRY!**_ *Ahem* Anyways! There's a few things that have been keeping me away. There's Lack of the net, writers block (I know I get it a LOT), lack of motivation, and health problems. Oh and a lack of ideas of where to take this. Now enough of that! So lets get to the thank you's and answering of questions. _**Kalevra/Bad Dog: **_Eh yeah I tend to do that at times. Make my stories go to fast that is. I try not to but sometimes I can't help it ya know? Sorry it's been so long! _**XxSilentLegendxX:**_ You're welcome for mentioning ya here! I like to do that. Make my readers feel appreciated ya know? I'd hate to have rotten food on me as well yuck! Oh and I'm doing my best to keep writing! _**Kuroi Arashi:**_ Ew...lol but yeah I know what ya mean. I have had to do the same things with my cats. _**Kool n Krazy Kaida**_: Hello there are you new or perhaps an old reader who switched user names? Man that getzs confusing when people switch names! Anyways! I would love to hurt the villagers as well. I'm glad you like my story! _**Jyro:**_ Lol okay here's more! _**sayuri'suzanna'inuzuka4ever:**_ Unfourtanitly they did but don't worry they make it up to him! Oh and man that's a long name to type! lol. Are you by chance new as well? Okay everyone that's it for now. Enjoy and R and R please!

* * *

Dakota felt like crap. How could she have forgotten Naruto's birthday? He was family for goodness sakes!

Shaking her head Dakota went into the kitchen to see if her mother needed help. Tara was cooking several of Naruto's favorite dishes and a birthday cake.

"Do you need any help Mom?"

Looking up from the pot she was stirring Tara said "No honey I've got everything under control." Just then the back door opened and a clone of Tara came walking in with several bags. Seeing her daughters look Tara (The one at the stove) said "The clones can help me while you take care of Naruto's gift."

"Uh right." Sometimes Dakota forgot that her mother had once been a ninja. Tara rarely used jutsus so Dakota wasn't used to seeing more than one of her mother. "I'll be back as soon as possible."

"Alright honey just be careful."

"I will." Dakota called as she walked out of the house.

Hurrying towards the training grounds Dakota's thoughts turned to Jacy. Had he found the others yet? She knew that the soonest they would be back was tomorrow afternoon and that upset her. Naruto's birthday is was today not tomorrow. Oh well there's nothing she could do about that.

Reaching an empty training ground Dakota began a set of hand seals. Pumping in a lot more chakra than usual Dakota slammed her hand down on to the ground and called "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

When the huge cloud of smoke cleared it revealed a rust colored eight tailed fox. The fox was huge standing taller than a two story building. Considering that it was not half it's normal size is saying something.

"Ah Dakota it has been a long time since the last time you summoned me." The eight tailed fox said in a voice that shook the leaves of a nearby tree.

Dropping to her knees from using so much chakra Dakota said "Yes it has been Isis-san."

"Why have you summoned me little one?" Isis asked sitting down.

Moving so that she was sitting in a comfortable position she said "Do you remember a while back when I told you about Naruto?"

"The boy whom Kyuubi is sealed in."

"Yes and remember we talked about the gift he would receive when we felt he was old enough?"

"Ah yes the gift. Not many receive a gift such as this."

"Only the worthy or a chosen one receives the gift." Dakota said.

"Do you feel he is old enough now?" Isis asked tilting her head to the side slightly.

"Yes today is his birthday. Naruto has worked very hard and he told me that he has made contact with Kyuubi."

"Really?" Isis was really surprised. "He is still so young! I am surprised that he has already made contact."

"I was as surprised as you when he told me."

They all had thought Naruto would be much older before he made contact with Kyuubi. Well as usual Naruto surprised them all.

"What does Jacy think?" Isis asked.

"We talked about it a few weeks ago. He agreed with me in thinking that he's ready."

"Very well then. I will go and choose which is most suited for Naruto. I will have Kioko bring the one I have chosen later."

"Thank you very much Isis-san."

"There is no need to thank me young one." Isis said before she disappeared.

Laying down Dakota made her self comfortable for the wait. She only hoped it wouldn't take to long. Nearly half an hour later Dakota sensed a familiar chakra. Sitting up she saw two foxes standing not to far away. One was black and the other was red.

"Hello Kioko." Dakota said nodding to the red Fox.

"Hello Dakota. I hope you don't mind but Cole wanted to come as well."

"No it's alright. Did you bring the gift?"

"Yes of course." A small head suddenly appeared from the other side of her. "Come on out little one." Kioko said in an encouraging voice.

Slowly the little fox crept out from behind her. It was small. A little smaller than a full grown house cat. It's fur was tan except for the tips of it's ears and tail. They were white. It looked up at Dakota with honey brown eyes.

Kneeling down Dakota held her hand out to the kit. It looked to Kioko then Dakota. Slowly it moved towards her and sniffed her hand. Gently Dakota stroked it's head.

"Her name is Akiko."

"Hello there little Akiko." Dakota said scooping up the small one tailed kit.

Akiko purred happily and rubbed her head against Dakota's chin.

"She's perfect."

"Isis-sama made sure to choose the perfect one." Kioko said.

"Please thank her when you go back. And thank you for bringing her."

"Will he really be a good person to take care of her?" Cole suddenly asked.

"Cole!" Kioko exclaimed in surprise.

"No it's okay. I promise you Cole that she will be perfectly fine." Dakota said with an encouraging smile.

After that the two older foxes left and Dakota with Akiko in her arms headed for home.

* * *

Little Akiko had no idea that her life would change completely in just one day. That day started out like many others. She along with her siblings and many cousins were playing in the clearing that members of the Kitsunes had been laying in for generations.

Then Isis-sama, the leader of their clan, appeared and gathered up all of the kits. Akiko had been a little scared. Isis-sama had never gathered them up like that before. She sat next to her big brother and watched nervously as Isis-sama looked them over silently.

"Now little one's I want you to pay close attention to what I am about to say. Today is a very special day. One of you kits will go and live in the human world." Isis-sama said finally breaking the long silence.

Akiko looked to her brother and asked "The human world?" Of course her family had told her of the human world but she had never been there herself.

"Why will one of us be going to live in the human world?" One of Akiko's cousins asked.

"You have all been told the story of Kyuubi yes?" Isis-sama asked. The little kits nodded and she continued. "The boy whom Kyuubi is sealed within has made contact with Kyuubi. Now he is ready to receive his Kitsune partner." Being chosen to be a kitsune partner means that you will be by the humans side always. You will be their protector and their friend. Now I know that you all are still young but you will learn over time. Now which of you will be the boys partner?"

Akiko looked around at her family and saw some looked eager while others, like her, looked scared.

"Akiko."

Akiko jumped in surprise and looked at Isis-sama with wide eyes. The leader was looking right at her.

"Would you like to be his partner?"

"Me?" She asked in a small voice.

"Yes you little one."

Ducking her head she said "But I don't speak human."

Chuckling Isis-sama said "You will learn little one. You have nothing to fear. The boy is very kind. Jacy will be there as well."

"Jacy?" Akiko asked ears perking up. Jacy was her older cousin and she had been missing him a lot since he had left.

"Yes."

Tail twitching back and forth she thought it over. "O-okay…I'll go."

"I'm very happy to hear that." Isis-sama said with a smile "Kioko will take you to the human world."

Akiko had never been held by a human before. She was a little scared but this human girl was very kind. She was eager to meet her partner but hadn't seen him yet. This confused her.

"Don't worry Akiko you'll meet Naruto very soon." Dakota, the human girl holding her, said scratching Akiko behind the ears.

This was it. The point in time where her life would forever change. Little Akiko was excited but also scared. What if this didn't work out? Would Isis-sama be mad at her? Well there was only one way to find out!

* * *

Before entering the house Dakota made sure Naruto was still in her room. After making sure he was she went in.

"Hey mom I'm back!"

"Oh good timing! Come try this please." Tara called from the kitchen.

Walking in to the kitchen Dakota let out a low whistle. There were numerous pots and pans on the stove, something in the oven, and other dishes cooling on the sinks.

"Come on over here honey." Tara said holding a spoon out to her.

Tasting it Dakota found it to be beef stew. "Wow great as always mom."

"Thanks honey." Then Tara noticed the little fox in her daughters arms. "Oh and whose this?"

"This is Akiko."

"Oh she's absolutely adorable!"

"I know. She's perfect isn't she?"

"He'll love her!"

"I hope so."

Once more Dakota's thoughts turned to the boy up in her room. Was he okay? Oh how she hated to leave him alone! However that's what he wanted. She only hoped that he knew that they were there for him. When he was ready they would be there.


End file.
